


All The World's Indeed a Stage (And We Are Merely Players)

by HuntressFirefall



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - American Idol, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Music, Alternate Universe - Reality Show, Alternate Universe - Singing Competition, Everybody's a singer in this one, F/F, M/M, Reality TV, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-07
Updated: 2018-02-28
Packaged: 2019-01-10 01:29:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 304,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12288351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HuntressFirefall/pseuds/HuntressFirefall
Summary: Hisashi Morooka:It's the biggest talent search ever undertaken by any competition show. Ten countries, a half-million auditions in stadiums filled with hopefuls from around the world, from every culture and in every musical genre. Our crew has had the difficult task of narrowing it down to the lucky 300 in each city that get to perform for our esteemed panel of judges, made up of some of the most famous faces in the music industry. Will one of the faces you see tonight be our winner? Let's find out! THIS... is SUPERSTAR GRAND PRIX!!Or: Take American Idol, with the international contestants element of Eurovision, mash them up and you'll have this singing competition AU. :)





	1. Welcome to the Show: Auditions - Part 1

**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**

**EROS ENTERTAINMENT MEDIA**

**PRESENTS**

**SUPERSTAR GRAND PRIX**

 

**LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA –** During a press conference today at their home studios in Hollywood, Eros Entertainment Media announced their newest venture into the television singing competition genre with **SUPERSTAR GRAND PRIX**. Unlike other country-specific singing competition shows, **SUPERSTAR GRAND PRIX** will feature the finest undiscovered talent from across the globe, culled from an extensive audition process in several countries that is sure to bring the cream of the crop of the unsigned singing world along with a diverse offering of many different styles and cultures to make this the most unique offering in the genre in recent memory.

Auditions will be held over the summer months at several locations in Canada, France, Italy, Japan, Russia, South Korea, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States; auditions can also be submitted online via the **SUPERSTAR GRAND PRIX** official website. Further audition rounds before the show's producers will continue to narrow the field down to the top 300 in each of the main audition locations and from online. Those auditioners will then be seen by the final panel of judges composed of industry legends that are responsible for millions of albums, singles and downloads over the span of their careers. From there, those hand-picked contestants that are sent through by the panel will be whisked off to Eros Entertainment's Hollywood studios for a week-long “industry boot camp” where one note can mean moving forward to the goal of the live shows, or the end of the journey.

The ultimate winner will be chosen from the final 12 contestants who make it to the live shows, to be broadcast from Eros Studios in Hollywood. Viewers from around the globe will be able to support and vote for their favorite contestants via simultaneous worldwide live-streaming of every episode and voting via the official **SUPERSTAR GRAND PRIX** mobile app, which will be available for both iOS and Android upon its release in the coming weeks. The show's official website message boards and social media pages have been flooded with excited viewers who are already following along for news on the continuing auditions.

Eros Entertainment was able to secure the best of the best for the **SUPERSTAR GRAND PRIX** judging panel and mentoring staff after an exhaustive negotiation process:

**Yakov Feltsman –** Chairman and CEO of Agape Records, the biggest-selling label on the planet responsible for the careers of many of the world's most elite stars. Mr. Feltsman's extensive knowledge of the industry and his years as head of A & R for the label before his promotion to CEO make him an indispensable part of the judging panel. Mr. Feltsman is perhaps best known for bringing international pop sensation **Minako Okukawa** onto the world stage, and his aforementioned A  & R skills were single-handedly responsible for her worldwide success.

**Celestino Cialdini –** Mr. Cialdini was the frontman for one of the biggest rock bands of the 1990s, the heavy-metal band Iceheart. With four multi-platinum albums while a member of the legendary group and two more as a solo artist, his inside knowledge and experience as a working musician is certain to be of great value in grooming the contestants for stardom. Iceheart is currently enjoying a resurgence in popularity after a reunion tour and album introduced them to a new generation of fans, and they are very active on the European summer rock festival circuit.

**Minako Okukawa –** A singing and dancing powerhouse and one of the most famous crossover pop acts to ever come out of Japan after being brought onto the world stage by Mr. Feltsman, Ms. Okukawa has the multiple gold and platinum certifications, music and video awards to more than qualify her for the judging panel. Not only is she a pioneer in the music industry, she has also written, produced, directed and starred in a rock opera based on her life that has just entered its 87th consecutive week on Broadway with no signs of slowing down. A heavy-hitter in the dance world, she is responsible for some of the most iconic music video choreography of the last decade since her retirement from performing and touring her own material.

Other members of the star-powered team include:

**Lilia Baranovskaya –** Legendary Russian Opera Prima Donna turned voice coach extraordinaire and head of Agape Records' Artist Development department, her expertise is responsible for keeping some of the biggest voices in the world producing some of the most iconic music of our generation. She has pioneered techniques for several types of singing that have revolutionized the art form.

**Georgi Popovich –** World-renowned fashion designer and stylist, Mr. Popovich has created some of the most iconic looks in the music world for the best of the best in the industry. His spring/summer collection was the talk of every fashion week from New York to Paris and Milan this past fall, and his impeccable taste will be instrumental in making over the contestants for that added bit of star power.

**Emil Nekola** joins the team as behind the scenes mentor and dance coach. After entering the pop world as a founding member and lead voice of the boy band Anastasis, Mr. Nekola was heavily responsible for the group's success both in their home country of the Czech Republic as well as their international success. With five multi-platinum albums while a member of Anastasis and two more platinum discs as a solo artist, at the young age of 18 Mr. Nekola is already an industry veteran with the most up-to-date inside knowledge of the current generation's superstars.

With its powerhouse team in place and, in the words of Mr. Cialdini , “some of the most ridiculous talent anyone has ever seen” being discovered via the audition process, SUPERSTAR GRAND PRIX promises to be **the** event of the fall television season.

**SUPERSTAR GRAND PRIX** will be hosted and executive-produced by multi-talented media mogul **Hisashi Morooka**. The show's theme song, “You Only Live Once” which was hand-picked by Mr. Morooka, is already on the top of the charts in more than 20 countries in anticipation of this stellar event.

 

* * *

 

**12 WEEKS LATER**

_Roll intro... going live in 5...4...3...2...1!_

**Morooka:** It's the biggest talent search ever undertaken by any competition show. Ten countries, a half-million auditions in stadiums filled with hopefuls from around the world, from every culture and in every musical genre. Our crew has had the difficult task of narrowing it down to the lucky 300 in each city that get to perform for our esteemed panel of judges, made up of some of the most famous faces in the music industry. Will one of the faces you see tonight be our winner? Let's find out! THIS... is **SUPERSTAR GRAND PRIX!!**

 

**Judges' Round Auditions, Week One – Rome, Italy (Day One)**

Celestino Cialdini had never met either of his fellow judges or Hisashi Morooka, but regardless he was looking forward to it. It had been a long time since he'd been on television in any way, shape or form, and was most definitely enjoying the attention this whole talent show thing was bringing to himself and his band, Iceheart. Their reunion album had done quite well in their native US, but his hiring as a judge for Superstar Grand Prix had alerted the world to the fact that his band, with its original lineup, still existed. Between his salary for this “sellout” gig (at this stage of his career, was it even possible to sell out?) and the payouts for all the festival gigs Iceheart had lined up, life was looking up for this supposedly has-been, washed-up metal rocker.

He was just about to sit down when a gorgeous Japanese woman who most certainly moved like a dancer walked into the room. Celestino – Ciao Ciao to his bandmates and anyone else he was friendly with – was really feeling underdressed in his ripped jeans, burgundy button down shirt and cowboy boots, his hair hastily pulled into a ponytail when he managed to oversleep that morning. The woman walked in wearing a stylish, form-fitting blazer over a black bejeweled corset, painted-on jeans and knee-high stiletto boots. She tossed her highlighted hair over one shoulder with a smile as she walked over to the judges' table.

“Ah, Celestino. It's lovely to finally meet you, I've been a big fan for years,” she grinned, shaking his hand warmly. “I'm Minako.”

“The admiration's mutual, I must admit,” Celestino said with a grin, causing the woman to blush as he gallantly kissed her hand. “We may have run in different musical circles, but I'm sure we both have some stories in common.”

Minako sat down at the table, opening her bottle of water; in the corner, the makeup artist was already fussing before she even put it to her carefully-painted lips. “Who _doesn't_ have war stories about the 90s?” she laughed. “We'll have to reminisce over dinner later. But considering you are all about the sex, drugs and rock and roll life, I'm sure you've got much more to tell.”

“Hey now! I took a cue from my idol Gene Simmons. I never touched any of that stuff. Besides, I needed to remember who I woke up with every morning.” Minako was about to smack him with the water bottle when she turned and caught the mischievous glint in Celestino's eye. Instead, she gave his shoulder a playful swat.

“You're a pompous ass. I like you,” she grinned.

Celestino was just about to respond as a much older, sour-faced man entered the room; the makeup artist was about to pause him to give his face a dusting but shrank back from the man's scowl as he walked over to the judges' table.

“Good morning, sunshine,” Minako said with an amused huff. “Jet lag giving you hell?”

The man sat down with a heavy thud into his chair. “I'm too old for this shit. I should have sent one of my A & R team.”

“Celestino, meet Yakov Feltsman. Most brilliant A & R man in the industry turned CEO of Agape Records. You'll want to keep track and mark it on the calendar if he ever manages to smile,” Minako snarked, sipping her water again.

Celestino reached a hand out to shake Yakov's hand. “It's an honor to meet you sir, and an honor to work with such a legen--”

Yakov waved him off with a hand. “Save it. I'll decide if I like you or not,” he growled in a thick, deep-voiced Russian accent.

Celestino turned back to Minako with a mildly terrified expression that softened as she silently mouthed the words, “He likes you.”

At that point a very chipper Japanese man came into the room, greeting the crew with an encompassing wave and pleasantries before walking over to the table and greeting Yakov and Celestino first.

“Hello, hello! Welcome! I'm Hisashi Morooka, so nice to meet you!” Yakov remained stoic while Celestino returned the greeting with an equal amount of enthusiasm. Minako then stood up, the pair giving each other a playful bow before hugging warmly. “Minako-sensei, so good to see you sweetheart. How's LA treating you?”

“Oh god, it's _way_ too hot. I was so glad to get here where I didn't feel like I was in the depths of Hell,” she laughed.

“LA _is_ the depths of Hell,” Celestino laughed; Yakov seemed to agree with a possibly amused huff.

“Okay, here's the schedule. We'll see auditioners for two hours at a shot, and take a 30-45 minute break in between each group with an hour for lunch. Most of these kids are really good, but I have a feeling we're going to end up with a few duds along the way, and I've already seen a few characters out there in the staging area,” Morooka said. “We'll try not to linger on the really bad ones for too long.”

“They will be gone quickly,” Yakov noted.

“Try not to be too hostile, Feltzy,” Minako said. “Some of them are babies, probably too young to be doing this but they've all got their big dreams. You're not in an A & R power meeting.” She sighed then. “God, I have always hated turning people down. I feel like I need a smoke just thinking about it and we haven't even started yet.”

“I think we'll have no problem with Yakov taking over the rejections, but I can drop a truth bomb if we need it,” Celestino offered.

“Nah, I gotta put on my big girl panties and deal. This business is tough. I just don't want it to be tougher than it needs to be. Wishful thinking, I know,” she added.

“All right, it's almost 9 am. Are we ready?” Morooka asked. “If so, I can go get the first victim... I mean, auditioner.”

All three judges nodded in unison.

“Ready or not, here we go,” Celestino added.

 

 

It was now six hours into the first day of auditions, and all three judges weren't certain they'd made the right choice by getting on board with this show. Even Morooka was concerned at the level of “talent” the producers had put through to perform in front of the judges for the all-important Judges' Round, which would determine if they won a Platinum Ticket to Los Angeles for Hollywood Week. But it seemed that the producers had more joke contestants in mind than actual singers. They'd managed to put through about 50 hopefuls out of the first half of the 300 who had passable to decent voices, and a few that looked the part more than sounded like a potential star.

As their final short break before the end of the day came and makeup and hair descended on the trio as they sipped drinks and nibbled on hors d'oeuvres to carry them to the Italian feast they had reservations for on Celestino's recommendation. His band had been quite popular in Italy and he knew Rome like the back of his hand. As such he'd been excited about the first Judges' Round being in Italy, but right about now he was wondering where all the actual talent was.

“So, do the producers even know what they're supposed to be looking for, or...?” Minako said as she carefully sipped her orange-twisted springwater through a straw so as not to disturb the fresh coat of gloss on her lips. “You can't tell me there is _no_ talent here. I would say half of those we put through won't even last through the first day in Hollywood.”

Celestino shook his head as he sipped his coffee, setting it down with a resigned sigh. “I don't get it. If this is what they pulled for us in every city, this show is going to flop and hard. Even the more mediocre winners of American Idol are better than some of these kids.”

Minako angled her head with a suitable amount of side eyed smirk. “Ohhhh that's so _cold_ , Ciao Ciao.”

“Did I lie? Did I _lie_ though?” he shot back, laughing as she rolled up her contestant cheat sheets and whapped him on the shoulder.

The pair settled down a bit when Yakov returned from a break to smoke a cigar, but he was no less frustrated.

“We are wasting our time if the producers don't get their heads out of their asses and stop looking for pretty people and start looking for talent,” he growled. “The next two cities are already set in stone but they're still auditioning for the others. I'm calling whoever I need to to get them on the ball.” He then shot Morooka an angry glare as the executive producer and host walked up to the table.

“I gave them all a full briefing on what we were looking for, gave them research material in the form of videos from the Idol and Voice standouts from over the years. Even when I worked on Pop Idol in London, sometimes you just ran into cities that were duds, and then others would be loaded. Don't give up yet.” Just then the head of staff running the auditions poked his head into the room and called time on the break.

“Twenty-five more,” Minako sighed. “Let's hope there's a diamond in the rough, or more than one.”

 

 

“Oh my god, how much longer? I am _starving._ I can't believe you talked me into this Michele.”

Sara Crispino and her twin brother Michele had been waiting in the holding area with the other contestants since the very early 8 am call time. Sara had suspected that their high contestant numbers would keep them waiting most of the day and she'd been right. Although the catering tables had held an assortment of appetizers, neither of the pair had had a proper lunch and as a result Sara's temper was running especially short.

“I really hope they'll let us go in together,” Michele replied excitedly, totally ignoring Sara's protests. “I have to see you shine like the star you are. I wouldn't miss it for the world.”

“Michele! I really want to do this on my own. I'd like this to be about me for once, if I have to be here at all. I don't think I sing well enough to win this show so I don't even know what I'm doing here. You're the one that has the better voice.”

“That is not true and you know it! You are amazing and beautiful and there's no way you won't win,” Michele replied, an almost smug certainty in his tone.

Just then the remaining group of contestants all turned toward the opening door that led to the audition room in unison, as they had been for the entire day. A woman in her early twenties had gone in and she now emerged, already crying as her family embraced her. Another rejection.

“Well... at least this might be over sooner than I thought it would be,” Sara noted. “Obviously they're pretty hard on everyone.”

“You will get through! I know it!” Michele snapped.

Morooka emerged from the entrance to the audition room then, looking down at the iPad in his hand.

“Sara... Crispino? Did I say that right?” he asked, looking around the room. For a moment, Sara didn't process that her name had just been called until Michele gave her shoulder a shove, then rose.

“Here she is!” Michele cried and Sara could feel her face flushing already. Sara walked up to Morooka – if nothing else, she'd at least meet one international superstar today – and shook his hand in greeting.

“Right this way, dear,” Morooka said, opening the door and gesturing for her to enter, at which Michele tried to follow.

“Sorry, Yakov's orders, only one auditioner at a time. No outside influences,” Morooka said by way of stopping him. “You're next in line, don't worry.” And before Michele could protest, Morooka disappeared behind the door. He walked up to where Sara had been directed to stand on a mark on the floor, with a camera in the dimly-lit temporary hallway made of folding panels with murals of musical scenes – audiences cheering for silhouetted singers and musicians – and switched on his microphone. For a moment, Sara had forgotten that in all the paperwork she'd signed she'd given them consent to film her as long as she was in the holding and audition areas and nearly waived off the interview. She followed Morooka's eyes to the cameraman, who silently counted down from three with his fingers and just like that, the camera was rolling. Sara could hear the auditioner ahead of her still singing though it was muffled through the semi-soundproofed panels.

“And we are in the hall just outside the audition room now with Sara Crispino. Tell me Sara, what made you audition for Superstar Grand Prix?”

She took a deep breath. _Here we go._ “My brother Michele who is with me today has always said I have a great singing voice. He keeps telling me I should do something with it so when we heard about the show and that there would be auditions here, we decided to do it.”

“And where did you first audition?”

“We both submitted online auditions because it was easier,” she replied. “We tried to go to the 'cattle call' in Florence but got turned away because they had enough people.” That had been an understatement; she'd listened to Michele and they'd gotten to the Stadio Artemio Franchi at noon to find the place packed to the rafters with a line around the building, which was cut off 15 minutes after they'd arrived, causing about two thousand people to be turned away, the both of them included.

“Well it looks like you both made the right choice,” Morooka replied just as the red light over the door leading into the room turned green, signaling the previous contestant was done which was also the cue for Morooka to take his leave. She was then waived forward by the stage manager, a stoic-looking Korean man whose ID lanyard had his name as Seung Gil Lee, and drew in a deep breath as he pulled back the door and nodded for her to enter.

As Sara walked in, Celestino's attention was already caught. “She's gonna be good,” he immediately murmured to Minako.

“You've been saying that all day and you're at about twenty percent accuracy,” she smirked. She then perked up and flashed her famous smile at the young woman before her after a quick glance down at her notes. “Hi... Ser-ah?”

“Sah-rah,” she corrected, feeling awkward even though she'd more or less been asked.

“Ah, sorry sweetheart, they didn't give us pronunciations. If it makes you feel better it's not the first time I've flubbed today,” Minako said, her easy, down-to-earth demeanor somehow making Sara relax just a bit. “So tell us about yourself.”

“Well, I'm from Florence, and my brother Michele who's here to audition too talked me into doing this. I didn't think I'd get this far though. I've never done any serious singing but I've always been told I have a good voice. So we auditioned online and here I am.” She turned her palms up with a shrug and a smile; she'd thought she'd watched enough American Idol auditions to anticipate how this would go, but staring at Minako, one of the biggest performers in the world, was definitely intimidating. _God, she's gorgeous in person too, wow. I can't believe I'm here..._ It all began to hit Sara and she drew in a breath as she managed to meet eyes with Celestino, who gave her a friendly smile, and Yakov, who sat with arms crossed and an unreadable scowl.

“All right. What are you going to sing today?” Minako asked.

“I'm singing 'Because of You' by Kelly Clarkson,” she replied.

“Great song, but a big voice for a little lady like yourself. Can you handle it?” Celestino smiled, a hint of challenge in his voice.

If there was one thing Sara could definitely say she was, it was competitive. Celestino's words were the spark she needed. “You'll see,” she replied, his response raised eyebrows and a smirk. “All right then, off you go,” he cued.

Sara closed her eyes as the pianist began the song, taking one more deep breath as the verse began. The first lines were low and she felt herself waver slightly, but as the melody climbed into the midrange she found her sweet spot. By the time she'd hit the chorus her voice rang out into the room, filling it with an impressive richness that she wasn't even certain she'd realized before. _Damn, this feels good._ She was about to go into the second verse when Celestino waved her off with a “thank you”.

“I had a good feeling about you when you walked in,” Celestino noted. “I was right. I think your voice is good, just untrained. I think with some help from our vocal coach you have a lot of potential.”

Sara tried not to grin but found herself unable to contain her relief. “Thank you so much,” she replied.

“I think Ciao Ciao is on to something here,” Minako agreed. “You do have a really good voice and I like your look too. Do you dance by any chance?”

“I do, and I also have done some figure skating so I know about choreography,” she nodded.

Minako then turned to her left where Yakov was sitting, still stoic. “Feltz, what do you think?”

“Too young. Needs work. I don't think she'll go very far,” Yakov grumbled.

“Oh come on, she's better than most of the people we've seen today. In fact I think she's one of the best,” Minako replied with an exasperated tone. She'd lost count of how many times she'd heard him say that today. “She just needs some polish. I think she's got a lot of potential.”

“Same,” Celestino agreed.

“All right, let's vote,” Minako said. “Yakov?”

“No,” he replied. “Come back next year when you have practiced more.” Sara felt her stomach drop at the older man's ornery demeanor.

Minako rolled her eyes at him in response, then turned to Sara. “I'm going to say yes. I think Hollywood will bring out your shine,” she nodded.

“I was a yes from the minute you walked in, don't have to ask me twice,” Celestino grinned.

“Guess what? You're going to Hollywood!” Minako cried, picking up one of the metallic silver “Platinum Tickets” on the table and holding it out to Sara, who hurried over saying thank you a million times. She made sure to shake each judge's hand – _oh my god Minako is so gorgeous –_ and, as a good majority of the contestants who'd made it through that day had despite the clearly-marked doors, attempted to go through the one she came in rather than the one marked “exit”.

“Wrong door,” Minako laughed.

“Oh!! Sorry!” Sara giggled, giddy now as the feel of the “ticket” in her hand began to sink in. She opened the door and went through an identical hallway that led out into the holding room, another stage hand telling her to pause presumably so Morooka could get to the door to greet her which was confirmed as he did just that.

“How did you do sweetie?” he asked.

Sara finally couldn't hold it in any longer. “I made it!” she cried, throwing her hands in the air; the remaining auditioners cheered for her, some encouragingly, and some not so much.

“Well, your brother has just gone in,” Morooka said. “Let's see if it's a two for one deal.”

 

 

The auditions only lasted about seven to ten minutes tops if they ended up going through, or at least that was what Sara and Michele had seemed to figure out through watching the endless stream of hopefuls coming in and out of the two doors for what was coming up on ten hours now. But Sara wasn't sure how long Michele had been in there because every second felt like ten. She'd thought at first that she'd wanted to do this alone, but now her heart was pounding as she hoped he made it through as well.

Finally, she saw Morooka emerge from where a new contestant had gone in and go over to the 'out' door. He motioned for her to come over to greet her brother, and as he exited she didn't like what she saw.

“Well, how did it go?” Morooka asked him.

“Yakov hated me. He said I shouldn't have sung “Serenade for Two”, that it's not the right song for me. Minako said it needs work. Celestino asked to hear another song so I did “Thinking Out Loud”.

Sara felt herself getting annoyed; Michele always did this when he had some kind of good or bad news to share. “Yes but... _how did you do?_ ” she asked.

Michele had been hiding his hands behind his back in an attempt to look dejected; he suddenly threw them over his head with a flash of silver paper hitting the light and shouted “We're going to Hollywood!!!” as the room erupted in cheers once again that were added to by Sara's squeal of glee. Morooka spoke with them a bit longer and then were sent to give their information to the production team to make arrangements for getting to Hollywood and go through a bunch more paperwork. As the pair made their way out of the Dharma Hotel a camera followed them, with one of the producers asking the requisite “how did that feel, how does it feel to be going to Hollywood together” questions until they crossed the threshold to the outside, where the boundary had been set.

Once they were free of being recorded Michele scooped Sara up in a massive bear hug. “See?? I told you! This is going to be amazing! I can't wait! We're finally going to see Los Angeles, we've talked about it forever!”

Sara very often really hated admitting that Michele was right, but this was one time she'd give him a pass as he was just as happy as she was. “I really got scared that you hadn't made it. It felt like you were in there forever,” she said.

“Oh god! They scared the hell out of me, especially Yakov. But god _damn_ Celestino is _hot_ , it made it hard to sing I was so distracted.”

Sara blinked; she hadn't seen _that_ coming, figuring he'd zoom in on Minako. “Well I was losing my shit over Minako. _The_ Minako! Ms. I've Won Every Single Award You Can Possibly Win For Music And Dancing And Everything, the legend herself!”

Michele grabbed her hand as the cab he'd hailed for them pulled up to the curb. “Well, she was okay too. But I hope they show your audition on TV so I can see it.”

Sara laughed as she got into the car with him following. “Oh god... we'll be famous then won't we?”

Michele wrapped an arm around her shoulders as he gave the driver their destination. “It will be a start, at least,” he replied.

 

 

 

**Judges' Round Auditions, Week Three – Paris, France (Day Two)**

After Rome, the next week's auditions were held in Barcelona, Spain, where the judges' panel easily notched another 100 hopefuls, the talent having been more promising once word got out of who was and wasn't being let through via leaks over social media. Those same social media feeds were buzzing already, with those rejected in Rome and Barcelona already beginning the requisite bashing despite many YouTube channels that served to show exactly why some of them had been turned down.

Celestino especially was relating to it all a lot more than he'd expected. He remembered the hungry days when he was working with the band to get them off the ground, and how any opportunity was one to be seized upon for better or worse. But on top of that, the modern-day equivalent was also a potential fifteen minutes of fame; after all, you had contestants like Tori Kelly from Idol who had been cut in Hollywood Week but had just enough of a fan base and interest to springboard a career. For the more savvy rejectees, if they played their cards right, anything could happen – ironically, whether or not they had the talent to warrant it.

But most of them were looking for big stardom, and Minako was finding it was becoming more and more difficult to turn people away, especially when they begged to sing a different song after completely bombing or being completely delusional due to their family and friends basically “blowing smoke up their asses,” as she'd put it more than once to Yakov and Ciao Ciao when the latest near-joke or full-on-joke contestant would leave.

Yakov had been in the business far too long to play any kind of games. If a contestant started to cry, he would simply cut them off and tell them in no uncertain terms what the deal was, from “Come back next year when you've practiced more/taken voice lessons” or “You sound like a dog that is locked out in the rain and trying to get in the house” or Minako's favorite: “You simply cannot sing and I would like to talk some sense into anyone who has told you you can.” The man had absolutely no problem crushing dreams, but he'd seen all sides of this insane industry. Both Celestino and Minako knew that Yakov was downright kind to what some people in the industry had faced on their battles to the top.

Paris had been kind, however. They weren't even halfway through the day and they already had 60 hopefuls, many of whom were interesting and talented. But the trio had all noticed that there was at least one “it” contestant in every 20-30; one who had _something_ that grabbed them. There was never a perfect balance of it all: If they had a strong voice, their overall presence was weak or needed work. If their voice needed work, chances are they'd walked in the door looking like a fashion model. The quietest ones were the most talented, usually far more modest than they really deserved to be, and the ones with the most bluster and confidence more often than not turned out to be the ones that, in Celestino's words, “downright sucked ass”. They had yet to find that perfect example of the combination of star power and talent they were looking for.

The day wore on and plenty of higher-level talent presented itself; before long, they were up to 80 contestants out of 300 that had been put through, the best ratio they'd had so far. As the day wound down a slump happened; most of the people they saw were too young, too inexperienced, or completely delusional.

Finally, they were down to the fifth-to-last person of the day, and as Minako pulled out his headshot, she found herself letting out a whistle.

“Now _he_ looks promising,” she said as she read over his application. “Dancer... especially pole dancing?... has done a few self-produced singles in his native Lausanne, Switzerland; has been in a bunch of bands, looks like mostly rock. Cites Celestino Cialdini as an influence.” She flashed a winning smile at Ciao Ciao.

“You know damn well the best ones are always the letdowns,” Celestino said. “I refuse to get my hopes up till he walks in the door and opens his mouth.”

Yakov looked over at the paperwork and photo that Minako was holding. “I've actually heard of him. There's been a buzz on him for about a year, my A & R rep at the home office in Zurich have said he's submitted recordings that are listenable but not very interesting.”

Seung Gil poked his head into the door then to see if the trio were ready to resume; there had been an unexpected break as security had to be called to escort one particularly stubborn rejectee out of the audition room. Yakov nodded and the young man disappeared, to be replaced by the man in the headshot in Minako's hand.

“Bonjour!” the man said, stopping on the masking-taped X on the floor before the judges' table. “It is a pleasure to meet you all!”

Minako looked down at the paperwork one last time; Celestino could see the flush on her cheeks. “Christophe Giacometti, from Lausanne, Switzerland, right?”

“Yes, that is me,” he said.

“I'm loving the outfit dude,” Celestino remarked. Christophe was resplendent in metallic skinny jeans, leather jacket, and a shimmery mauve-ish t-shirt and scarf, hair perfectly coiffed. Minako could see the definite dancer's body beneath the form-fitting clothing.

“Merci! I'm a bit of a fashion plate, I must admit. But it's all part of the total... package.” Christophe winked at Minako then.

“Oh, flirty one aren't you?” she grinned. “It says here you're a dancer, are you formally trained?”

“Yes, I have taken many forms of dance over the years, but modern is my forte. I've also parlayed that into a... shall we say, artistic form of employment that pays the bills.”

Minako actually giggled. This guy had the swagger _down._ “Says here you have done competitive pole dancing. I can see how that would be useful.”

“I sing _while_ I pole dance! I once did a whole song switching from one flag position to another. With a headset microphone of course, because you need your hands,” Christophe explained.

Minako's eyebrows raised then. “Those are some serious thunder thighs then,” she replied with a flirt to her tone.

Christophe wiggled an eyebrow and winked. “Oui,” he grinned.

“So you are here to sing. Tell us what you are going to do,” Yakov cut in, seeing the banter beginning to run long. Four more people to go after this and they could call it a day, and he was ready for dinner and bed.

With interest, all three judges noticed that Christophe's demeanor changed the moment he was brought up to task; he became more formal, drawing himself up straight and looking Yakov right in the eyes. “Forgive me, sir, I am a bit overly excited to be here and let myself get out of hand.” It was also of interest that Yakov responded with a nearly imperceptible nod of approval; the confidence wasn't just bravado – Christophe had done this audition thing before.

“I shall be singing “Intoxicated”, he replied. Behind him, the pianist shuffled the sheet music. The song was usually done with a rock band, but Takeshi Nishigori, one of Morooka's best friends and the music director of the show, was really good with adapting the various songs being chosen and started playing the intro in a slinky, sexy vibe, his touch on the keys perfectly setting the tone.

Christophe began with a soft, controlled falsetto that elevated into a clear tone full of vibrato that was equally controlled; he began to move, expressing the emotions of the song through a bit of dance. His voice shifted impressively from belting to falsetto without missing a single beat, his movements not even leaving him out of breath as he finished.

“Niiiiiice,” Celestino replied. “Great control and tone. You've taken singing lessons too haven't you?”

“Oui,” Christophe replied. “Since I was quite young. I thought I might get into theater, but I found I preferred performing live music better.”

“What do you play?” Yakov asked. It was again telling; Yakov almost never the contestants about themselves.

“Guitar, mostly rhythm,” he replied.

“I think you're great, the total package, actually,” Minako smiled. “You've got the looks, the swagger, the voice, I think this is going to be a very easy decision.”

“I say yes,” Yakov said. “And I'm going to fire the man who rejected your song submissions to Agape Zurich.”

Christophe's eyes went wide. “Oh! Merci!” He clasped his hands together, genuinely surprised. A kudo from Yakov Feltsman was absolutely nothing to brush off.

“Absolutely 100 percent yes,” Celestino nodded. “You've got _it_ , brother.”

Minako picked up the Platinum Ticket then, letting it cover all but her eyes like a veil, her voice momentarily silky. “You know what thaaaaat means.... You're going to Hollywood!”

Christophe even managed to make Yakov crack a smile as he literally _squealed_ with glee, clapping his hands. “Thank you, merci, thank you thank you thank you!” He hurried to the table, saying “thank you” about 500 more times and shaking each judge's hand before he spun around... and attempted to exit through the wrong door, catching himself and turning sharply on a heel before leaving. A few seconds later, there were some very loud cheers coming from outside the conference room the auditions were being held in.

“Well after that, these last four better step it up. But I think we found our first potential superstar,” Minako said.

“He's damn good. He's got everything you need to be a great frontman or solo artist,” Celestino agreed.

Yakov was texting someone on his phone, another uncharacteristic move, causing both of his fellow judges to look over curiously. He closed the wallet case with what appeared to be a very satisfying slap, then looked over at them both.

“I hate when people I hire waste my money. At least I got rid of that,” he grunted.

Minako and Celestino both looked at each other as Yakov picked up his notes for the next auditioner, both barely containing the laughter that wanted to burst forth. If nothing else, Yakov was a man of his word.

 

 

 

**Judges' Round Auditions, Week Five – Moscow, Russia (Day One)**

Yakov was more than thrilled to be back in Russia, even though his home base had always been St. Petersburg. He'd made sure to have a few extra days between the auditions in the United Kingdom and those in Moscow to show Celestino, Minako, Takeshi and Morooka around and treat them to his favorite Russian foods. His ex-wife and soon-to-be vocal coach for the show, megafamous opera singer Lilia Baranovskaya, had also been invited along for the trip so she too could get back on home soil for a while. The pair lived most of the year in Los Angeles until the nicer weather hit in Russia and they'd arrived at just the perfect time to enjoy it. It was a much-needed respite, and Minako and Celestino especially got a bit more insight into Yakov and in turn, a bit less intimidated.

Today though, they were back at it at the Four Seasons Hotel in Moscow, settling in for the first of the usual two days, with 150 auditions in each. As they looked through their notes Yakov mentioned that they would possibly see quite a few young people; he fully expected it with how many of them get into sports at an early age to try to find a way out to a better life for themselves and their families.

As the auditions proceeded throughout the day they found that Yakov (and Lilia) had been spot on. A great amount of the auditioners were all in their mid to late teens to early 20s at most. With the minimum age being 15 it invited a lot of hopefuls who came with their parents; Seung Gil had a very hard time explaining why entire families weren't allowed into the audition room with their child, finally becoming exasperated enough for Yakov himself to walk out into the waiting area and explain that the audition process was pressure enough without the expectations of those close to you and that no family members would be allowed in.

It wasn't long after this that the first potential star walked into the room. As Minako read over his file Celestino appraised the edgy little punk that shuffled in, long blond hair partially obscuring his face, thin, reedy frame, and piercing green eyes. This kid was _pissed_ about something... either that, or ridiculously determined. Dressed in a t-shirt emblazoned with a tiger face, black skinny jeans, black and leopard-print high tops and a matching leopard and black zip hoodie (the hood of which was drawn up over his head), Celestino was already figuring this would be yet another “but I'm awesome because everyone tells me I am, you _have_ to put me through!” auditions. Yakov began by asking in Russian if the kid spoke English, to which he replied yes.

“Yuri Plisetsky. Sixteen, from Moscow,” Minako continued. “Would you mind taking your hood down so we can see you better?” He took the hood down, flicking his hair out of his eyes temporarily with a jerk of his head, hands going back into his pockets.

“So what made you come here today, Yuri? And who are you here with?” Celestino asked.

“My grandfather brought me. And I came to go to Hollywood and become a star so I can take care of him and my mother.” Yakov gave one of his usual faint nods in response.

Celestino figured he wasn't going to get a lot of small talk out of this one, but what he'd already said explained a lot about his demeanor. Ciao Ciao had some experience with kids like this in the industry, and they really had absolutely no idea what they were getting into.

“That's pretty noble of you,” he replied, not quite sure what else to say. “What are you going to sing for us today?”

“Sweet Child of Mine” by Guns n' Roses,” he replied.

“Great song. Go for it kiddo,” Celestino replied, whereupon Takeshi began to play a truncated version of the intro riff to the song on the piano. Yuri stared down at his feet until the intro ended, then broke into a voice that no one in the room saw coming. Celestino was floored by how much the kid sounded like Axl Rose; he'd obviously been practicing a lot. If anything it was almost a bit _too_ carbon copy, but that was to be expected; he was pretty sure the kid had very little experience and probably had no idea what kind of musician or performer he even wanted to be. By the time he got to the end of the abbreviated version of the song, for the iconic “where do we go” final breakdown where the original had Axl's voice going from quite deep to rock star wail, Yuri _nailed_ it. Yakov had even sat forward in his chair by this time, hands folded and chin resting on them as he remained fixed on the Yuri as he finished the song.

There were a few moments of silence as everyone in the room took it all in, then Minako finally broke in. “Wow... how did you learn to sing like that Yuri? That was pretty incredible.”

Celestino thought he may have seen the barest hint of a smile on Yuri's face. “My mom has lots of old records from that time. I grew up listening to them because she was a singer too, she still is. That's why she's not here, she's touring. She taught me how.”

“I knew there had to be some vocal training involved,” Minako agreed. “Your control is amazing. I'll be honest and say I did not expect that big voice to come out of you.”

Yuri did crack a satisfied smirk this time. “No one ever does. That's why I like it.”

“Have you ever been out of Russia?” Yakov asked.

“No, not even out of Moscow.”

“Well after today I think you will be going somewhere. It's a yes from me,” Yakov replied.

“From me too,” Celestino added. “That voice is going to take you places, kid.”

Minako picked up the Platinum Ticket. “You're going to Hollywood!” she grinned, holding it out to Yuri. He seemed to be trying for all the world to keep calm – if Celestino was calling it correctly, to “be grown up” – but as he paused to listen to something Yakov said in Russian and extended his hand to shake the older man's, Celestino saw Yuri's hand trembling. Celestino decided not to remark on it as Yuri shook hands with Minako and him before taking his leave.

“That's a hell of a lot to have on your shoulders at sixteen,” Celestino said.

“It happens a lot here. That is why there are so many athletes. Many of them compete to support their families. He's probably already more independent than some adults,” Yakov said. “He will need guidance though, because Los Angeles is very different than Moscow.”

“Having said all that... that kid is going to be star. Even if he doesn't win this competition? He's amazing,” Celestino replied. “I know grown men that can't pull that song off.”

“Exactly,” Minako said. “He's probably the best of the teens we've auditioned so far. He has a lot of potential.”

From across the room, over where Takeshi was sitting at the piano, Lilia had been observing. “He is still quite rough. I can mold that voice, his technique is good but there are ways he will need to sing to preserve it with that style. I feel he will make it to the final twelve though. He is very driven, that is easy to see.”

“Definitely. This kid just raised the bar for sure,” Celestino agreed.

 

 

It was nearing the end of the first day with just a handful of people left, when a very confident-looking young woman walked into the room. Her hair was naturally a striking auburn and the way she had it clipped back on top revealed an undercut. Dressed in leather jeans, a cami top and a leather fitted jacket with a pair of studded black heels Minako was already eyeing, she took her place on the X on the floor before the judges' table.

“Mila Babicheva. Eighteen years old, from St. Petersburg,” Celestino began. “Why did you decide to audition?”

“I've been doing music in some form most of my life. I've been in a band for a bit but I mostly want to be a solo artist. I have been trying to write some songs, but I'm just starting on that,” Mila replied.

“What kind of artist do you want to be?” Minako asked.

“Well I love Pink, for example. She can do all kinds of music but she is always a bit edgy and leans toward rock. I've always been into rock music mostly. I think my voice works with that kind of music best.”

“Which brings me to what you're singing for us today,” Minako said in a curious tone.

“I'm doing “My Immortal” by Evanescence,” she replied.

“Tough one,” Celestino said. “Let's hear it.”

Takeshi began playing the song on the piano, and Mila's voice began very softly; Celestino was impressed with her control on the lower register, which was the most difficult part of the song for most. As the vocals slowly built up to the chorus, Mila held a very soft falsetto, keeping the verse light. As the shortened version of the song moved into the change, she switched over to belting that started out light then by the end of the chorus, was powerful and perfectly on pitch. Lilia noticed a bit of inexperience with breath control but for the most part, it was evident that Mila had been working on her singing for quite some time.

“Well you certainly have the concepts of how to accent a song down,” Celestino said. “I feel like maybe it was a bit of a safe choice for you though. I want to hear you really let loose.”

“Singing full on is easier,” Mila replied. “I like the challenge of doing songs that need more emotion than just singing loud, even though those are fun to do.”

“Do you have anything else you can sing that might show off your belting though?” Minako asked, interest piqued but there was still something she was looking for with Mila.

Mila thought about it for a moment. “One of my favorite old songs is “Barracuda” by Heart,” she offered. “I didn't bring the music for it though.”

“Go a capella,” Minako encouraged, and Mila did just that, using her midrange and higher belting range to do the first verse, change and chorus of the song which proved she did indeed have a voice suited for rock; Celestino mentally noted that she and Grace Potter would sound great together.

Before there could be any more banter, Yakov cut in. “I say yes. She has a good range. I think there is some inexperience with proper technique, but that can be fixed. You are still young enough to learn the right ways to sing so you don't damage your voice.”

Minako nodded. “It's a yes from me too, I like you. Great voice, you already have the look and the confidence. I think you'll do well.”

Celestino picked up the Platinum Ticket and held it out. “You're going to Hollywood darlin'!” he grinned, at which Mila let out a triumphant yell and nearly ran the few steps to the table, thanking them all profusely before nearly heading out the wrong door in her excitement.

“Russia's bringing it,” Celestino remarked when Mila was gone.

“Definitely. We've got so many good people and definitely a few stars,” Minako agreed. “We'll definitely get our quota filled by tomorrow.”

 

 

 

**Judges' Round Auditions, Week Five – Moscow, Russia (Day Two)**

“Otabek Altin, from Kazakhstan, age 18. Says here you like to DJ and that you love motorcycles,” Celestino noted.

“Yes sir. I am also currently in a band, though we just play cover songs,” Otabek replied.

Minako looked over the quiet young man standing before them, resplendent in what could best be described as a biker outfit right down to the fingerless leather gloves. If someone could be both modest and confident in their demeanor and carriage, it would be him, she mused. She almost felt like he might be a tough nut to crack.

“What kind of music do you like?” Celestino asked.

“I listen to everything, from heavy metal to EDM. You have to as a DJ. I just got old enough to work in clubs so I do that on the weekends, trying to get my name out there. But I do DJing that pays the bills too, you know. The usual stuff.”

Minako had the absent thought that it would be difficult to picture this rocker boy in a tuxedo spinning wedding love songs. “And what are you going to sing for us today?” she asked.

“Wake Me Up” by Avicii, he answered.

“Okay, let's hear it,” Minako nodded, and Takeshi began playing the intro. To the surprise of the judges, Otabek's voice was rich and melodic with a bit of vibrato, and he carried the melody of the song well, including the higher notes in the chorus with a few small runs of notes.

“I find you very interesting,” Minako said. “Your voice is very good on a technical level, but there's still something missing for me. I think you need to open up a bit more.” Otabek shifted back and forth on his feet but only nodded respectfully in reply.

“I'm with Minako on this. I think you have a lot of potential, but there's just a lack of emotion for me that I can't pin down. I do think you could probably work on it though. To be fair, if you're not connected to a song, you won't let that come out and I feel like you chose this because it's probably something you play a lot as a DJ. At least, that's the vibe I get from this audition. So for me, I'm still going to say yes because I think you have it in you and Hollywood could bring it out,” Celestino replied.

Yakov had listened to the points both of his fellow judges had made. “We have made stars out of people who were less polished than this at Agape,” he noted. “Sometimes it just takes the right situation to help someone shine. I am going to say yes and give you that chance.”

Minako grinned then, picking up the Platinum Ticket; she decided that her “no” decision was best left unsaid, as Otabek's face had gotten more worried as the two judges had spoken. Instead, she broke into a winning smile and exclaimed, “You're going to Hollywood!” Otabek smiled and walked forward, shaking each judge's hand and thanking them before taking his leave.

“Quiet one. I think he's going to need some work but I bet he's the type that will realize what he's got when he measures up to the other talent we've put through. I think he's probably so isolated he's not seeing it in himself. I think he's confident though and I'm interested to see where this all takes him,” Celestino said.

 

 

Much of the rest of the day was very uneventful, and soon they were down to the final auditioner for the Russian dates of the judges' tour. Minako had been staring at the man's head shot for several minutes, and Celestino caught her shaking her head.

“This guy... I'm going to say it, he's hot,” she noted. “Apparently he's a pretty well known YouTube star, supposedly having a voice in the vein of Adam Lambert or Freddie Mercury. At least, that's what he said on the application.”

“I'm apprehensive of anyone who thinks they sound like Freddie Mercury. Spoiler alert: they usually don't,” Celestino replied.

Yakov was reading over his copy of the notes on the final auditioner as well. “I've never heard of him but it seems he has quite the following on his channel. Let's see if he lives up to all this talk.” He nodded to Seung Gil, who ducked out into the hallway; a moment later, the contestant named Victor Nikiforov walked in.

Dressed in black jeans, black boots, and a Queen t-shirt under a red and black leather military-inspired jacket, standing nearly six feet tall, the most striking features about Victor were his piercing blue eyes and shimmery silver hair which was carefully styled with his left eye mostly obscured by a perfectly-formed swoop.

“Hello Victor,” Minako said; Celestino noted a slightly dreamy tone in her voice and looking at the guy, he honestly couldn't blame her. He completely looked the part of a star.

“Hello, Привет,” he replied. “It looks like you've saved the best for last. It got a bit lonely out there in the last hour or so.” Celestino smirked; this one was a bit cocky. Sometimes that didn't bode well for the voice.

“Well, we'll find out if that's true,” Minako said. “But first, tell us a bit about yourself.”

“Well, I have been in a few bands, and I self-recorded and released an EP of my most liked YouTube covers in my home studio. I do write my own songs too but on YouTube they seem to like my covers best. I like to change things up and not always do them like the originals. I like putting my own self into it and surprising people. I've had my YouTube channel since 2010 and at first it was only popular in Russia, but then I started doing more Western music and it took off. But this is probably the biggest chance I've ever had at getting known so I decided to go for it,” Victor replied.

“And what are you going to sing for us today?” Minako asked.

“Dream On” by Aerosmith,” he answered.

Celestino raised an eyebrow. “That's a pretty big one, can you handle it?” he asked, half-joking and half serious. He had a nagging feeling about this guy he couldn't shake.

“Let's find out, shall we?” Victor said with a wicked smirk that read 'challenge accepted'. He waited through the abbreviated intro Takeshi played, then began to sing in a rich, slightly raspy voice that was already charged with emotion as he seemed to really feel the lyrics. The further he went into the song his eyes closed, and by the time the big ending came up including the high, controlled wail that was Steven Tyler's trademark, Victor had the room in the palm of his hand. Even Yakov's eyes went wide at the ridiculous high notes Victor hit, perfectly replicating that signature iconic scream. There was silence in the room for several long moments when Victor finished.

“Well... I can definitely say you've surprised us all,” Celestino finally said. “Where have you been hiding dude?”

“In my apartment in St. Petersburg with my dog, Makkachin,” Victor replied.

“Well I think you need to get out of that apartment pronto, that was crazy, scary good,” Celestino replied.

“I'm not gonna lie, I had chills,” Minako said. “I think you've got it all: the sound, the looks, the swagger. I don't understand how you're not already a superstar.”

“Well we will fix that,” Yakov said. “It is a yes for me. I think we did save the best for last. I think you are the best audition we have seen so far out of everyone.”

Victor's eyebrows raised at that and a flush colored his cheeks. “Thank you so much... I've worked pretty hard on getting my voice to this level. But I feel like I could benefit from learning from the best.”

“To be very honest, I think you can win this whole thing,” Celestino said, causing Victor's eyes to go wide as the surprise was turned back onto him.

“Really? That's a very high compliment from you,” Victor said. “I'm quite familiar with your work. I've always had an affinity for rock from different eras. It's the style I enjoyed singing in most.”

“Well we'll see how far that voice takes you. It's a yes from me,” Celestino said, adding his approval to Yakov's.

“I'm going to say yes too, and I agree that you could win this,” Minako said, which made Victor break out into a megawatt smile; Celestino was certain Minako barely held back from swooning as she held out the Platinum Ticket. “You're going to Hollywood!”

Victor came forward then to take the ticket, pausing to kiss the back of Minako's hand. “Thank you so much. I won't let you down,” he said. “And I'll definitely keep surprising you.” He punctuated his last statement with a wink from behind the lock of silver hair. He thanked Celestino and Yakov, who he conversed briefly with in Russian before taking his leave. Walking down the exit corridor on the direction of Seung Gil, Victor emerged to the waiting camera and Morooka.

“Well buddy, how did you do?” Morooka asked.

Victor held up his Platinum Ticket to the camera. “I made it. I had a good feeling I would. Fifth time's the charm,” he said.

“How's that?” Morooka asked.

“I have tried out for the Russian spot in Eurovision, Glavnaya Stsena which is our version of X-Factor, X-Factor UK, and The Voice UK. They all turned me down. So getting through here has been both surprising and very satisfying. I can't wait to go to Hollywood. I've never been to the US,” Victor explained, finally breaking into a grin.

“Well from what I heard I think the judges really liked you,” Morooka confirmed, extending his hand to shake Victor's. “Good luck, and we'll see you in LA!”

 

 

Minako flopped back into her chair as Victor's departure brought their day to an end. “What a way to end the first half of the audition run!” she said. “That guy is _ridiculous._ I need to look him up on YouTube and see what he's doing. I don't understand how he hasn't been discovered, he's phenomenal.”

“I am going to follow up with my people here and ask why they didn't know about him,” Yakov growled. “He could have been a star much before now.”

“He lived up to the hype, that's for sure, except for the fact that he doesn't sound like anyone. He might have elements of Lambert and Mercury but he's got a very unique sound to his voice. He's going to be a hit with the viewers right out of the gate.”

“God, we have so much talent already and we still have five cities to go,” Minako said. “But next week is Japan and _thank god_ because I swear if I have to eat one more bowl of fake ramen I am going to scream. I cannot wait for Tokyo!”

“Are you saying Russians can't make good ramen?” Yakov asked; by now, she and Celestino knew quite well when Yakov was being serious, and this was not one of those times.

“I'm just saying it's best at home. Let's hope we find some crazy talent there too like we did in Moscow. I think this is the best city so far,” she replied.

“I agree, we've got some great potential from here. But it's going to take me a while to get over Victor. I'm still blown away.”

“I think the entire world is going to have it bad for Victor from the minute his face shows up on their screens. This show wanted a superstar, and I think they're about to get one,” Minako replied.

 

 

_Lead-in... going live in 5...4...3...2...1!_

**Mooroka:** And we are back as we say goodbye to Moscow and the first half of our auditions. We've really seen some potential stars here, along with some not-so-serious ones who while they were entertaining, just didn't have what it takes to make it through. Next week we'll see highlights from the rest of our audition cities as well as a preview of Hollywood Week! Until then... Morooka, OUT!

 


	2. Welcome to the Show: Auditions - Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Morooka:** We are at the final stop on a very long and extensive search for the very best in undiscovered talent. We've been all around the globe with some very notable performances, from Paris, France where we discovered the very unique Christophe “Chris” Giacometti, and Moscow where Victor Nikiforov blew the judges away with his fantastic performance. We found a few more standouts in Japan in Kenjirou Minami, whose high-energy singing and dancing won over our judges' panel, and Guang Hong Ji, who traveled by himself all the way from Bejing to Tokyo to win a Platinum Ticket to Hollywood. And then there was Texas' own Leo de la Iglesia's powerful performance of “Perfect” by One Direction which made him an immediate favorite in Los Angeles. With this much talent already on board, can the judges find anything left to impress them in Toronto? Let's find out!

**Detroit, Michigan – Three Weeks Before the Start of International Judges Round Auditions**

“HOLY SHIT PHICHIT COME HERE QUICK!”

Phichit Chulanont had just gotten in from his classes at Wayne State University, and was met with his roommate's excited yelling. Finding this out of the ordinary for the shy Japanese man, Phichit knew immediately that it had to be really important – and mostly likely about the email they'd both been waiting for. He ran into the living room where he found Yuri Katsuki sitting on the couch amid a pile of his own books and papers, eyes wide through his blue-rimmed glasses.

“So??” Phichit asked excitedly, “What does it say??”

Yuri jumped up, pumping both fists – again unusual. “I GOT IN!” he cried. “I'M GOING TO THE JUDGES' ROUNDS!”

Phichit screamed for joy and tackled his friend, knocking him over onto the couch. “Ahhhhhhh Yuriiiiiiii I'm so happy for you!!!!”

Yuri shoved him off playfully. “Go check your email already!!! Or did you forget you sent in an audition too??”

Phichit's eyes went wide. Jumping off of the couch he yanked his laptop out of its carry case, booting it up but then ending up checking the email app on his phone because the computer was taking too long. “We were so intense in show choir today that I actually haven't looked at my email since noon...” There were a few more moments of silence, then the tables were turned as Phichit was the one yelling and dancing around the room.

“I got in too!!” he cried and the pair hugged again, laughing before both finally flopped back down onto the couch to catch their breaths. Phichit then opened the email on his laptop for a better look.

“They gave us the option of Los Angeles or Toronto for the Judges' Auditions,” Yuri said.

“Toronto's closer. Remember that time we took the trip up there? It was six hours with the VIA train and bus,” Phichit reminded him.

“Oh yeah, definitely. Cheaper too, neither of us can afford plane fare to Los Angeles right now,” Yuri noted. “Looks like Toronto is the last stop and it's a couple months away so we have time to figure everything out. God why did this have to come up in my senior year though? I've got so much to do before my final voice and piano recitals.”

“If we both become famous we won't need no stinkin' college!” Phichit laughed. “I bet you make it to the live shows, you're too good not to.”

“I'm just a dime-a-dozen wannabe singer-songwriter,” Yuri said. “You're the one with the theater voice and performing skills, you're kicking ass already and you're only in sophomore year. You're just what they want in pop music, especially here in the US.”

“Then we'll both make it. And if you don't want to be in front you'll be in my band as my music director and we'll write songs together,” Phichit said. “We're both going to kick ass though! Those judges won't know what hit them!”

Yuri blushed then. “I hope so. I have to start thinking about what I want to audition with and practice. It says you can bring a guitar and they'll have a piano available too.”

“You already know what song I think you should do,” Phichit noted. “But it says to have at least two ready in case they want to hear more.”

Yuri pulled up a video on YouTube then. “I just hope I can do it half as well as he can.” He hit play on the video and a voice speaking in Russian-accented English began to talk about the cover of “When I Was Your Man” by Bruno Mars he was about to perform, a request from several of his channel's viewers, Yuri included.

“I wonder if he auditioned? I know there were cattle calls and judges' rounds in Moscow,” Phichit wondered.

“I really hope he did,” Yuri said. “He's tried out for so many things and gotten rejected. Who the hell rejects Victor Nikiforov? That voice... that face... really? How is he not a superstar already? It makes me wonder if I should even bother if he can't get noticed.”

Phichit smiled knowingly as Yuri spoke. “If he did get to the live shows I don't think anyone would stand a chance. He's too good. None of us would need to bother showing up.”

Yuri had zoned in on the video as he always did whenever he watched his favorite YouTube star. “He blogged last week that he is going to start doing Skype voice lessons. Oh god... I want to do it so bad but I probably wouldn't be able to talk, let alone sing.”

“He seems really sweet and down to earth though, and anyone that loves his dog that much has to be cool,” Phichit said.

“He just sounds so sad on this song,” Yuri said, having not really been listening to Phichit, his full attention on the video even though he'd watched it a million times (well really just thirteen, but still). “Like he's actually lonely. I can't even picture him not having somebody, he's too hot and too talented and too...”

“Perfect?” Phichit smirked, giving his smitten friend's shoulder a playful shove.

“Yes! Exactly! He's perfect,” Yuri said. “How is he real? He can't be real.”

“Well, we need to nail our auditions and get on this show and get famous,” Phichit said. “Maybe then you'll get to meet him someday and find out.”

  
  


**Four Months Later**

_Rolling in 5...4...3...2...1!_

**Morooka:** We are at the final stop on a very long and extensive search for the very best in undiscovered talent. We've been all around the globe with some very notable performances, from Paris, France where we discovered the very unique Christophe “Chris” Giacometti, and Moscow where Victor Nikiforov blew the judges away with his fantastic performance. We found a few more standouts in Japan in Kenjirou Minami, whose high-energy singing and dancing won over our judges' panel, and Guang Hong Ji, who traveled by himself all the way from Bejing to Tokyo to win a Platinum Ticket to Hollywood. And then there was Texas' own Leo de la Iglesia's powerful performance of “Perfect” by One Direction which made him an immediate favorite in Los Angeles. With this much talent already on board, can the judges find anything left to impress them in Toronto? Let's find out!

 

**Final Judges' Round Auditions, Toronto, Canada (Day Two)**

After three months, the Judges' Rounds were finally coming to an end. The extra time off in Russia and Japan in between the auditions there had rejuvenated the trio of judges and Hisashi Morooka, and the home stretch in Los Angeles where they were all able to sleep in their own beds had given them a fresh start for the final two days in Toronto. The first day had been filled with the requisite amount of joke and delusional auditions; it seemed they were much more prevalent in the US, where American Idol had shown via joke contestants like William Hung that anyone could manage their fifteen minutes even if it wasn't for a good reason. There had been a few gems and they'd put through about 50 people so far, but with the limit very near to being hit they were becoming far more picky on who they let through.

So as the second day wore on and there were more rejections than those going through, both Phichit and Yuri were starting to feel less and less certain about their chances. It seemed like one out of every 10 that went in actually made it, and the pair had made a game of trying to figure out how it would go. Some were obvious; the guy from Buffalo who was wearing a full-on 80s hair band costume and screeching Skid Row songs in the waiting area came back out of the audition room faster than most, but the pretty girl with the acoustic guitar quietly practicing her songs in the corner of the room, whom Yuri thought had a textbook perfect voice, also came out in tears as she was turned away.

“Wow, they didn't let Jess through,” Phichit said grimly. “She was such a sweetheart. I was so sure she was going to make it, her voice is so pretty.”

Yuri had tried to wave her over to see what had gone wrong but she left without speaking to anyone, also declining to be filmed further. “If I was nervous before, now I'm full out wanting to run out the door,” Yuri sighed. “If she can't get through...”

The room quieted as Morooka paused to look down at his iPad for the next auditioner, as it had all day. “Jean-Jacques Leroy?”

A French-Canadian man about 20 years old jumped up. “Right here and ready to be the next big star!” he said, heading over to the door where the requisite short interview was done before Seung Gil let him inside.

Yuri rolled his eyes. “Watch, he'll get through even though he's so extra there's three of him,” he snorted, causing Phichit to break into laughter.

“That about sums it up,” Phichit replied. “I think everyone's going to be happy he's leaving, he's been nonstop hyper all day. With an ego like that, they'll most likely toss him out quick.”

 

“Hello! I have arrived, your search has ended. Pleased to meet you all.”

Celestino cringed inwardly. Yakov would likely say no to this kid just because he appeared to think he was all that and a bag of chips. After ten weeks of seeing so many similar people, it would take a _lot_ of talent to warrant an ego the size of Texas.

“Jean-Jacques Leroy, twenty years old, from Montreal,” Minako said. “Says here you're majoring in theater studies at the University of Montreal and take regular lessons at the Montreal Academy of Music in guitar and voice as well. Seems like you know your stuff.”

“Absolutely! I want to be the king of the charts someday soon! I know I can win this and be the best performer in the world,” he answered. “But please, call me JJ.”

Celestino could see Yakov cross his arms, staring down his nose at what he'd surely call an insolent child once the kid left the room. _Yep, it's a no already._ “All right then JJ, what are you going to sing for us today?”

“I am going to sing a song my band and I wrote together just for this audition,” JJ replied. “It's called 'Theme of King JJ'.”

It was all Minako could do to not laugh. Who inflated this kid's ego? “All right then, let's hear it.”

JJ paused to give Takeshi directions on exactly how to play the piano part, explaining that it was usually done on electric guitar so “please make it sound rocked out and not cabaret”. As JJ turned back to face the judges, Minako nearly spit out her water with laughter at the eyeroll Takeshi gave behind his back before beginning the song. It was a mix of a theater sound and rock, though much more theatrical with being done on the piano. JJ sang the lyrics with a voice that was actually quite good, but it was difficult to tell the full level of it as he overemphasized everything with body motions and sweeping arm movements, again very theatrical in presentation. Celestino finally had enough after the first chorus, and waved him off to stop.

“Okay well... that was a very interesting song and it seems like you have good control. But I think I'd like to hear you do something established so we can compare a little better,” Celestino said. “Did you prepare anything else?”

“Yes, I have 'This Is The Moment' from the musical _Jekyll & Hyde_ ready to go,” he replied.

“All right, let's hear that then,” Celestino nodded, “but this time, just focus on singing. That's what we're looking for first, the performance stuff comes later.”

JJ's face momentarily flashed over with a look of concern, but he shook it off as he launched into the second song; Celestino noted that the lyrics were of a similar vein to the original song he'd sung in that they spoke of someone chasing their dreams with full belief in themselves. As JJ skipped forward to make the chorus not the mid-song one but the final one that ended in a big theatrical finish he again put on a full theater facade, arms raised to the ceiling as he let the last note trail out.

“That was much better,” Minako said. “You do have a phenomenal voice and I think you have a lot of presence. I think you could use some refinement on your performance skills, but honestly I think you're just really passionate and have to learn to channel that energy in a positive way. I think you have a lot of potential, so I'm going to say yes.”

Celestino blinked; he wasn't ready to vote yet but followed along. “That's my first impression too. There's talent underneath all the bravado, you don't need all the showing off. Just be yourself dude, and the rest will follow. I think out of everything that's what you really have to work on right now. But I think you can do that, so I say yes. Yakov?”

Yakov was stoic for a few moments, staring down JJ until he saw the kid swallow hard; as per usual for most contestants, JJ hadn't realized that the majority rules and he was actually going through, and as such reacted as if Yakov's approval was make or break. Celestino decided to roll with that; the kid needed a little nudge off the pedestal for things to come.

“This business is very tough. Don't think just because your family tells you you're the best that you are. You have a lot to learn and right now no one is going to like you if you keep telling them they should. You have to win them over. Be gracious. Be thankful. Do not be arrogant, or you will be gone before Hollywood week ends,” Yakov said. “When you are arrogant, no one in the business will want to work with you and you do not make it. It is that simple.”

There was a long, close to awkward pause as JJ stood silently, face flushing over; he finally nodded and said “Yes sir, thank you very much.”

“With that said, I think you are young enough to be molded. So I will let you go through, but you will have to work very hard to convince me you have learned something today,” Yakov replied.

It took JJ a second to realize what had been said; Minako seized on the chance to lighten the mood by waving the Platinum Ticket. “You're going to Hollywood JJ!”

JJ exhaled sharply and teared up, clasping his hands together. “Oh god thank you so much!” he said, blessing himself and wiping at his eyes as he walked up to the table to get his ticket. “I'll practice hard and I will be so ready for Hollywood, you'll see!” He was so flustered he headed for the wrong door, then exited; a few moments later cheers and shouts erupted from outside the banquet room the auditions were being held in.

JJ came bursting out of the door, jumping and whooping into a cluster of people made up of his parents and nine siblings, and the waiting area was filled with piercing shrieks and squeals from his younger brothers and sisters and sobbing from the older ones and his parents. Morooka then paused to interview him, the camera and lights closing in around the family.

“He got through? Wow,” Phichit said. “I guess there was something they liked under all that ego.”

“Maybe you have to be extra to get in after all,” Yuri said. “Which means I won't make it.”

“Will you _stop it_ , Yuri? You will make it! You're too good not to!” Phichit scolded him. “At least it looks like we don't have a long time left to wait, there's not many people left and I don't think we're last.”

Phichit's assessment had been correct, as 10 more auditioners were called in with no one getting through to Hollywood before Phichit's name was called. He took a deep breath and exhaled; Yuri noted it was uncharacteristic to see his friend look nervous.

“Well, here I go,” Phichit said as he accepted a hug from Yuri for good luck. “Let's hope I don't die from Minako's hotness.” He then headed up to where Morooka greeted him.

“Let me just make sure I've got your name right,” Morooka said, and Phichit set him straight with a smile.

“It's fine, I've heard every version and I answer to most of them, except “Late for the Party”,” he winked, causing Morooka to laugh.

“Well you're a feisty one, I think they'll like you. Go get 'em tiger,” he said as Seung Gil opened the door. As Phichit headed in and walked next to the stage manager, he found himself stealing a glance or two. _Oooh, he's cute._ They paused at the entrance to the room, with Seung Gil looking up at the red light over the door until it turned green; he then opened it and said quietly, “Good luck.” Phichit smiled and said a quick thanks as he walked into the room.

“Okay I know I'm going to flub this one,” Minako laughed, “So why don't you tell us your name?”

“Phichit Chulanont,” he grinned. “It's fine, very few ever get it right the first try unless they're Thai.”

“It says in your bio you're here on a full scholarship to study music in Detroit,” Celestino said, “and that you got in early because of your academic skills. You've been living on your own here since you were 16 when you moved to the US from Thailand. That's pretty impressive.”

“Thanks... I do my best. I just really wanted to have a career in music and I loved the programs at Wayne State so I worked really hard to get in,” Phichit replied.

“And now you're skipping school to be here,” Celestino smirked. “Well let's see if it was worth it. What are you singing today?

“It's a song from a Thai musical called _The King and the Skater_ , called “Shall We Skate?”,” Phichit replied.

“I haven't heard that before, but we'll check it out anyway. Off you go,” Celestino replied.

Behind Phichit, Takeshi nodded and chimed in, “I have, my senior music group at UCLA did a staging of it last year.”

Phichit's eyes went wide, momentarily getting sidetracked. “Really? I didn't think anyone here heard of it, that's so awesome!! He then turned back, eyes wide and a hand over his mouth. “Oh! Sorry! Got excited,” he said, which made Minako and Celestino laugh and even Yakov crack a slight smile.

Takeshi began the song and Phichit started with the bit of dialogue at the beginning to set the tone, then began to sing with a clear tone with the notes pretty spot on. He grew more animated as he went through the song, hitting the modulation perfectly without missing a beat, which made both Celestino and Minako blink in surprise. He finished the song with a grin, quite satisfied with his performance.

“Well! That was certainly enthusiastic!” Minako said. “You have a very infectious personality, I like you a lot. And you have a great voice, it's very obvious you've worked hard on your diction and pitch.”

Phichit nodded. “Yeah that was the first thing my teachers noticed so we fixed it in year one,” he agreed.

“I think you've got a great stage presence and a good chance at grabbing an audience, you're very likable,” Celestino said.

“Let's vote,” Minako said. “It's a yes from me, I think this competition needs your spunk.”

“1000 percent yes,” Celestino said. “Yakov?”

“You are very marketable, I think lots of young fans will like you. Keep paying attention to what you are told when you are working on your performances and it will get you far. I say yes,” Yakov agreed.

Phichit's eyes went wide and he jumped up and down and screamed, causing the entire room to crack up and even Yakov to smile. As he came forward to get his ticket, he pulled out his phone.

“Can I get a selfie with you guys? I won't post it till the show airs I know,” he asked. Celestino laughed as he looked over to Seung Gil, who gave a nod of ok; the three judges leaned in to get into the picture before Phichit dashed out of the room, excited to tell Yuri the news.

Yuri had been waiting anxiously, trying to calm his breathing, as the seconds ticked by like hours outside in the waiting area. With only five more people to go after him, every scenario was running through his head now: _They have enough people, I'll get cut; I'm going to forget my song and blow it; at least I can go back and focus on my recitals then see if I can go to LA to support Phichit..._

“Katsuki Yuri?” Morooka's voice broke into Yuri's thoughts as he called him in the Japanese way of putting the last name first. Yuri pulled himself up out of the chair, already feeling his heart racing as he headed over; Morooka was at the first door which meant Phichit hadn't come out yet. Yuri hoped that was a good sign.

Morooka greeted him in Japanese, asking where he was from and for a few moments they bantered about Japan, which calmed Yuri's nerves a bit. The cameraman signaled that he was ready and counted down as Morooka faced Yuri, microphone in hand.

“We have here now Yuri Katsuki, who is all the way from Hasetsu, Japan. How did you end up here in Toronto, Yuri?”

“I've been going to Wayne State University in Detroit on a music scholarship,” Yuri began. “Majoring in piano and minoring in voice. I'm in my last year now. I've been here for four and a half years because I changed majors after freshman year.”

“And where did you audition?”

“My friend Phichit and I both auditioned online because the closest open auditions were in New York City and we couldn't go,” he said. “Phichit and I are roommates.”

“Ah, yes, Phichit is auditioning now. What will happen if only one of you goes through?”

Yuri had thought of that possibility, yes, but hearing it actually said aloud by someone else nearly sent him into a panic. “Uh... well I finish my finals the first week of December, so I'll be free after that. I'll just go and support him if I can.”

“Aw, I think you'll do great, don't doubt yourself kid,” Morooka said cordially. Just then Seung Gil's assistant poked his head out of the door. “There's your cue, good luck!” And with a shake of Morooka's hand, Yuri turned and went into the hallway, the door closing behind him. The assistant led him to another door with a red light over it; he could hear some voices on the other side but the soundproofing muffled everything too much for him to make anything out. After what seemed like yet another eternity, the light turned green and the assistant opened the door.

Yuri took a deep breath and walked into the room. The first person he saw was Takeshi, who was obviously Japanese as well; he remembered hearing about Morooka's best friend being involved with the show and recognized him then, dipping his head in greeting. He then followed the floor to the masking taped X, standing on it; after one more glance down to his feet, he raised his head to the three judges. He focused on Minako, the Japanese superstar he'd grown up listening to like most of the kids his age; he'd never gotten to see her perform live and yet here she was, a living legend in his home country about to tell him whether or not he was good enough to move forward.

 _What is my life right now,_ Yuri thought to himself.

Minako looked up from Yuri's bio with a huge grin on her face. “Konichiwa, Yuri-san! We're neighbors. Saga represent!” she said.

Yuri felt himself relax more; it had slipped his mind in his nervousness that the biggest reason he'd followed her as a child and teen is because she was from Hasetsu, having come up from being a well-known dancer in Japan and running a dance school to being discovered by Yakov. He felt himself smile; he was trying very hard not to feel like this was an out of body experience but his pounding heart was making that very difficult. Out of force of habit he dipped forward slightly in a bow of greeting.

“Yes, we are. I took classes at your studio from one of your dancers not long before I came here,” he said.

“Your name is familiar. Are you related to the Katsukis who own Yu-Topia?” Minako asked.

Yuri felt his face flush as he smiled bashfully. “Yeah, that's my mom and dad, I grew up living there.”

“Oh, that's your family's onsen? What a damn small world!” Minako laughed.

“So you two are like this then?” Celestino teased, holding up one hand with the first two fingers crossed.

“No, but everyone knows Yu-topia if you're from Hasetsu,” Minako said. “Best damn onsen and you cannot beat their katsudon. Best in the city.”

“You're making me miss it now, stop,” Yuri said with a laugh. “I think I miss my mom's cooking more than anything.”

“How crazy is this that we had auditions in Japan and I have to come all the way to Canada to find you?” Minako smiled.

“I know, right?” Yuri said. “But maybe that will be lucky for me.”

“It just might,” she said, finally remembering to focus on the matter at hand with another smile. “It says here you're going to play piano for us. What song are you doing today?”

“I'm going to do 'When I Was Your Man' by Bruno Mars,” he said. Behind him, Takeshi rose from the piano bench.

“Bruno's pretty tough to match up to,” Celestino said. “I'm hoping you can handle it.”

 _Me too_ , Yuri thought to himself as he sat down.

“He'll do great, Saga people kick ass as a rule,” Takeshi smiled. “I should know, I'm from there too and look at me.”

“Such pressure!” Minako laughed. “Okay Yuri, let's hear it.”

Yuri drew inward then, absently wondering for a moment if this was as nerve-wracking as his recitals would be. He then focused on the one person he'd always sung this song to in his head to get into the proper mindset, then laid his hands on the keys to strike the first notes of the song.

Even Yakov leaned forward as Yuri's trained voice, with its subtle vibrato, rang out through the room, the piano playing gentle but still feeling soulful. His voice swelled with emotion as the song went on; he followed the sheet music for the shortened version and skipped to the change after the first chorus, pouring his heart into the words and into portraying the correct emotions of a person pining for someone they'd lost. As he came to the soft, wistful sounding end reprise of the chorus, he used some of the improvisations he'd seen in Bruno's live performance videos of the song to show off his range including an impressive 'glory note', then ended the song with the final gentle piano chord, letting it ring out through the room.

There was complete silence as Yuri stayed staring down at his hands, trying to calm his breathing. _Oh god, was it that bad..._

“That... was _sublime_ ,” Celestino finally said. “Really really great.”

“I'm going to be honest, I did not expect that voice to come out of you,” Minako said.

Yuri stood up and went back to standing on the X, folding his hands behind him. He knew his unassuming wardrobe, shaggy hair and geek glasses had thrown them off even though it was his day to day look; he inwardly was pleased with having surprised them without even trying. “Thank you so much,” he replied modestly.

“There is a very high level of talent there,” Yakov said, surprising both of his fellow judges. “Very impressive. Do you perform regularly?”

“I play piano at a coffee shop on campus,” Yuri said. “But nothing professional, at least not yet.”

“Do you write songs?” Yakov asked.

“I do. Sometimes by myself, but I like having collaborators to bounce off of,” he answered.

“Can you do other genres?” Yakov continued.

“I started out with theater voice training, but I'm getting pretty good at pop vocals, so I think I could probably pull it off,” Yuri said. “I listen to pretty much everything.”

“If this show stays being about music and not just who is popular because of other things, I think you can win it,” Yakov said. “I say you go to Hollywood.”

Yuri's heart felt like it was going to burst out of his chest. “Oh, thank you so much sir!”

“I definitely agree. I think you're fantastic,” Celestino said. “That is one hell of a voice you've got there. I want to see more of you. It's a yes from me.”

Minako picked up the Platinum Ticket, then changed into speaking Japanese. “You already know I love you but your performance made me love you even more, so I say yes too. You're going to Hollywood!” she grinned as she held out the ticket.

Yuri walked forward, feeling his whole body vibrating, his hand trembling as he reached for the ticket. Minako stood up and hugged him tightly; he shook hands with Celestino and Yakov, then turned back to also thank Takeshi with a handshake before heading out into the exit hallway. He emerged to see Morooka waiting with Phichit, who was holding up his own Platinum Ticket with a huge shit-eating grin on his face; Yuri then held up his and let out a yell as they embraced with ecstatic laughter. Once they calmed down, Morooka grabbed them both for an exit interview.

“So the best friends from Wayne State have both gone through! How are you guys feeling right now?” Morooka asked.

“Oh my god, I knew Yuri would go through for sure, he's just too amazing,” Phichit grinned. “I'm so happy!”

“I knew he'd make it too,” Yuri said. “I was really hoping we'd get to do this together so I'm ecstatic that we both made it through.”

“I've already talked to Phichit about his audition, but how did yours go Yuri?”

“Well you know of course that Minako is from Hasetsu and so am I, so we were bonding over that,” Yuri said; Phichit flashed a mock jealous glare. “I took lessons at the dance studio she owns there, not from her but from one of her long-time touring dancers. I've followed her since I was a kid so that was crazy. But yeah... they all said...” Yuri paused then; he hoped what he said next wouldn't hurt Phichit's feelings. “Well, Yakov said I could win.”

Phichit's eyes went wide then. “Oh my god Yuri did he really!?”

“Wow, when Yakov tells you you're great, you're definitely on your way,” Morooka said. “I'm looking forward to seeing how you both do in Hollywood. Congratulations guys!” The cameraman then signaled “cut” and Morooka nodded once more to the pair before heading over to the other door for the next auditioner.

Both Yuri and Phichit found a quiet spot just outside where the auditions were going on, both out of curiosity to see how the last five did and to call home. Yuri opened the Skype app on his phone, hoping his sister Mari back in Hasetsu was already awake for her morning job at the onsen so he wouldn't wake her. He was happy when she picked up right away; just as the call began, Phichit made note of the young kid that had gone right after Yuri, who was leaving in tears with his family.

“Well???” Mari asked as soon as Yuri's face came onto the screen.

“I made it!! And so did Phichit! We're going to Hollywood!” he said, a rush of tears coming to his eyes as it finally hit him in full.

On the other end, Mari screamed, then excitedly shared the news with their parents, who then also came into the frame.

“Oh I'm so happy! Oh my god!” Mari said, tearing up as well. “You're going to be on TV! How crazy is that??”

“Right? I can't believe it either!” Yuri said. “Oh my god Minako knows Yu-topia! She said Mom's katsudon is the best in Saga!” At this Yuri's mother Hiroko blushed and covered her mouth modestly.

“When you win we'll invite her for the celebration then!” his father Toshiya grinned.

Yuri was too happy to be self-deprecating right then. “Definitely!”

The call went on for a few minutes more, then both Yuri and Phichit stayed to see the final contestant, another young female guitar player, also leave in tears. No one else had gotten through after Yuri and Phichit. Yuri had been the final “yes” of the day, and of the auditions.

“We need to get going, we can catch the last bus if we leave now. We will be dead for classes tomorrow but we won't miss anything,” Phichit said.

“At least Hollywood Week happens while you're on break,” Yuri said. “And I'll be done. You might have to make arrangements for deferring school if you make it through... or should I say when.”

“I already asked my advisor about it. He said to just let him know. I got it all squared away because I knew we'd both make it,” Phichit replied with a wink. “Oh! Hold on! We need to do a selfie with our tickets!!” Yuri grinned as they headed outside to find the huge Superstar Grand Prix logo sign that was outside the Pantages Hotel, with Phichit using his selfie stick to get the sign and the two of them in as they held up their tickets.

“Ughhhhh I can't post this till the episode with our auditions airs!” Phichit said. “The paper we got says that it premieres at the end of September. They're spreading it out over eight weeks.”

“When does Moscow air?” Yuri asked as they sprinted toward a Tim Hortons for some food and coffee.

He looked over the schedule on the paper they'd been given. “The last audition ep, just before it goes on hiatus for the holidays so they can film Hollywood Week,” Phichit said. “Are you hoping you'll see someone in particular?”

Yuri blushed. “I find it very interesting that he hasn't been on his social media at all. That's not like Victor, he updates with a new video once a week and is always on Twitter and Instagram. The only thing that happened was someone tweeted at him in Russian; the translation said they were asking if he was okay. He replied in Russian and said he was “on a bit of a break” but didn't say why, just that everything was okay. This happened right around the time of the Moscow Judges' Round.”

“You should have studied to be a private detective,” Phichit laughed. “But do you think it means he maybe got in?”

“I really hope so,” Yuri said. “Although... if he did and he will be at Hollywood Week...” He stopped in his tracks on the sidewalk then as the realization hit him.

“Oh my god you'll be on the same stage as him! Do you think you can handle that?” Phichit asked, grinning.

“I... guess we'll find out soon enough,” Yuri said.

 

 

As the last auditioner left the room, with Seung Gil entering and closing the door behind him, Morooka entered through the “in” door.

“Aaaaand that's a wrap!” he grinned. “What a crazy wild ride that was!”

Minako flopped backward in her chair dramatically, draping herself over it with the back of a hand to her forehead. “Oh dear _god_ I'm so glad it's over!” she joked. “But seriously, we found several potential stars here in Toronto.”

“I'm still blown away by that Yuri kid,” Celestino said. “Japanese Yuri, I should say. What are the odds that two guys from different countries have the same name?

“We will call Russian Yuri, Yura,” Yakov said. “Or Yurachka.”

“I don't know about you, but I think I already have an idea about who will make it to the live shows,” Takeshi added. “I have several people that I specifically remember from the beginning.”

“Victor and Chris, definitely,” Minako said. “That will be the Top Two, mark my words.”

Celestino nodded. “Yeah, definitely. They've both got _it_.”

“I would not count out Japan Yuri, or the Thai boy... Phichit,” Yakov said after a glance at his notes. “But especially Yuri. He is what we call a 'quiet star'. The one you don't expect to be anything but surprises everyone instead.”

“That kid... he could be on the level of any of the top singer-songwriters today. He'll have the ladies swooning in the aisles and burning up the voting lines,” Celestino said. “But not gonna lie, I'm pulling for Russian Yuri too. There's something 'old soul' about that kid, like he's already an adult. Sings better than half the guys I auditioned for my solo band.”

“We just have to make sure that the people we choose from here to go to the live shows deserve it,” Yakov said. “We have to get 600 down to twelve. The hardest part is still ahead of us.”

“It's just like any other casting call,” Takeshi noted. “You get a huge pool, and the cream always rises to the top in the end.”

“Speaking of cream, I also love food so let's go get some. Time for a celebratory dinner. We made it guys!” Celestino grinned.

 

 

**Ten Weeks Later**

“Hurry up Yuri! It's starting!”

Yuri came into the living room of his and Phichit's small apartment just off-campus with paper plates in hand, sitting down on the couch before the large pizza the pair had bought to celebrate Yuri's graduation and the end of the semester. Yuri was now officially done with college but was still planning to stay in the US for a while, finding a job so Phichit could continue to afford their apartment. At least, that was the backup plan if Hollywood didn't work out.

Right now however, they were settling in to watch the final audition episode of Superstar Grand Prix. They'd been following it closely over the past months and had been impressed by the people that had gotten through so far; Phichit was already crushing on Christophe and had been gushing about meeting him ever since the Paris episode had aired. Yuri had really liked Sara and was excited to see another Saga native in Kenjirou, though he appeared to be rather hyper.

But tonight was the episode they'd both been waiting to see. The auditions were being shown out of order from how they had occurred, apparently to emphasize certain people. As such, Moscow and Toronto had been lumped together, with Toronto first for some odd reason despite being the final city. JJ's audition was shown first; it was quite obvious they were giving him the “arrogant” edit, emphasizing what Yuri and Phichit now began to realize was overcompensating for nervousness as they watched his backstory and audition more closely. They now knew that while JJ would definitely be entertaining no matter what, that there was more to the bravado.

“I guess what I've always seen about editing is true to some extent,” Phichit said in between bites on his slice of pizza. “JJ was obnoxious but I feel like he's getting the 'bad guy' storyline.”

“Yeah... but after how he got yelled at by Yakov, I bet he'll calm down. At least I hope so,” Yuri said. “If Idol and the Voice were any indication, an attitude like that gets you booted fast.”

As the show came back from a commercial break, Phichit grinned. “Oh here we go! It's us!”

“Oh god, I don't know if I can watch myself, this is going to be so weird!!” Yuri laughed.

The segment began showing Yuri and Phichit in the waiting area chatting with each other; they'd caught the moment Phichit had decided they needed a “waiting” selfie. In the weeks since their auditions the producers had contacted the pair and had sent a crew to Detroit to do backstory segments on them both. The narrative centered on the fact that they had become best friends after being paired as on-campus roommates, and then seemed to lean toward setting up a competition that pitted them against each other.

“Oh god, I hope they don't make people think we hate each other,” Phichit laughed.

“They'll have a hard time justifying that,” Yuri said. “Unless they use actors they're never going to find any footage of us fighting!”

The segment went on into Phichit's audition, and he was surprised at just how much he hadn't noticed, being too wrapped up in singing his song. The reaction shots of the judges' faces were very telling; it was obvious they loved him right away even if Phichit hadn't figured that out yet at the time.

Then there was a cut to Yuri, sitting outside in the holding area alone, looking quite anxious and withdrawn. The sound was edited so that it seemed like Yuri could hear Phichit's muffled singing, when in reality he couldn't.

“What? I couldn't hear you! Why would they do that?” Yuri asked.

“The way they crossfaded that shot made it look like you could hear, yeah,” Phichit said. “That's sneaky. They're totally making this out to look like we're potentially unfriendly rivals.”

Once Phichit's audition ended and he was put through they cut to Morooka's interview with Yuri, where his being from Hasetsu was highlighted. Once he went into the room the interaction with Minako was also emphasized; the cuts almost made it look as if Yuri was already a 'chosen one' of hers.

“Man they are really laying it on thick,” Phichit said with a laugh. He then went quiet as Yuri's audition was played in full, something that didn't happen a lot and usually meant that it was someone they wanted to emphasize.

“ _Damn_ , Yuri! You _slayed_ that! I think that's the best I've ever heard you do it!” Phichit said. “No wonder you made it!”

Yuri had gone bright red; he had to admit that he did actually sound damn good. “Yeah... I just kind of zoned out and went for it. But my recitals were way easier than that!”

The pair had not been totally unaware of the camera crew that followed them when they'd gone to call their families, and found that they'd been filmed from afar while talking to them, presumably because neither were speaking in English which was the primary language the show had been done in due to the international broadcasting. The last scene of the Toronto segment of the show was another shot of the pair taking their selfie in front of the logo sign outside the hotel.

“Oh that's right! We can post that now!” Phichit grinned; as he picked up his phone, he found that he had a text from the producers giving that permission as well as a flood of congratulatory messages. Yuri looked at his phone after this discovery.

“Oh god... they just told me I need to get a Twitter to interact with fans,” Yuri said. “I have one but I never used it.”

“I would not get into talking with strangers, that gets scary sometimes,” Phichit said. “I'm sure they'll help us along with what we can and can't do or say. But the first thing we both should do is set direct messages to those we're following back only.”

Phichit posted the selfie picture with the caption “SURPRISE! WE'RE GOING TO HOLLYWOOD! #SuperstarGrandPrix #losangelesbaby #goingtohollywood” to his Instagram account during the commercial break that followed, then the pair settled in for the final hour which was devoted to the auditions in Moscow. Otabek was first, his audition basically shown as it happened. Mila's audition came with some backstory that definitely hyped her as a contender; once she sang they both could see why.

After a commercial break there was a montage of the Moscow joke auditions, as well as a little background on the city that segued into a block of passable auditions, talented singers that were just “okay” but put through due to the judges wanting to see what would come out in the competitive setting of Hollywood Week. As the final commercial break ended with ten minutes left in the show, it came back to segue into the backstory and audition of Yuri Plisetsky.

“Oh wow, this guy's name is Yuri too,” Phichit noted. “Awkward much?”

As Plisetsky made it through, Yuri had to laugh. “Yeah really. I wonder if he goes by anything else. I guess if all else fails they'll just call us by our last names or Yuri P. and Yuri K.” Yuri then looked down at his phone as he noticed he'd been flooded with texts from his classmates congratulating him on making it through, some affronted that he hadn't shared the news sooner despite not being allowed to. He was setting about answering one when Phichit grabbed his arm, making him look up at the screen.

The backstory segment had begun in St. Petersburg, with photos of a sixteen-year-old, silver-haired kid going to ballet, piano and voice lessons and school at the same time. He moved out on his own at 18 for a reason that wasn't disclosed, and his parents were no longer mentioned after that. After a few attempts at breaking into ballet failed, he ended up focusing on music. The hair was shorter by the time he was 20 years old in 2010, when he began his YouTube channel. They detailed the “many rejections”, unable to name the shows due to copyright and contracts. The final shot of Victor Nikiforov, YouTube star, walking his dog over a bridge in St. Petersburg near where he taught beginners ballet at the Yubileyny Sports Complex morphed into Victor walking into the audition room.

Yuri's audition had been the final “yes” given by the judges, but Victor's audition was going to be the last one aired, so that everyone would remember that face and that voice during the holiday hiatus. Phichit and Yuri both sat staring at the screen, jaws slack as Victor blew the roof off the audition room with the voice that Yuri already knew he had. After the judges' praise and the awarding of the Platinum Ticket, they showed Victor's short interview with Morooka minus the name-dropping of the shows he'd been rejected from, and ended with a shot of the Russian in the “confessional” area wiping away a few tears as he talked about how happy he was to finally get some recognition, and how he couldn't wait to go to Hollywood.

The show ended and the station switched over to the local news; only then were Yuri and Phichit jarred out of their state of shock. Phichit turned off the TV and looked at Yuri.

“Yeah, I was right. We might as well not even show up. He's going to win this whole thing,” Phichit replied.

“Oh god... he's going to _be there,_ ” Yuri gasped. “I can't believe it...”

“Aww, I bet he's super cool. I'll check him out for you first.”

Yuri pulled his laptop over and pulled up Victor's YouTube account, even though it was the middle of the night in Russia. Sure enough, a new video had been posted; a closer look revealed it was actually a live stream. Victor was dressed in a plain black v-neck t-shirt with the rest of his body off camera, looking a bit sleepy but very happy. Yuri turned up the volume and angled the laptop so Phichit could see as well.

“Yes, I know, I have been gone for a bit but I had to keep everything quiet,” Victor said. “I knew if I was on social media I would slip because I've been so excited, so I stayed offline which was just as difficult because you all know how addicted I am. But yes, I leave for Hollywood next week, it starts right after the American Thanksgiving holiday and will be aired the first week of January. Depending on what happens I will be either staying in Los Angeles after that or coming home. I'm taking Makkachin with me, I'll have to figure things out from there. I won't be able to tell you what happens, you will have to watch.”

Victor paused then to squint at the chat which was flying by on the side of the screen. “I can't reply to all of you individually but thank you so much for your support. I couldn't have done this without all of you. I am going to sleep now, I'm tired because they wanted us to wait to post anything until the worldwide broadcast of the last episode was over. I just want to say to everyone I will see in Hollywood, good luck and I can't wait to meet you all.” He signed off with a sleepy wave and the broadcast ended.

“Oh my god, this is insane!” Yuri finally said. “I wonder if we'll get a chance to talk to him.”

“Of course we will. We'll be in the Top 12 together!” Phichit said.

“Oh stop!! I can't deal with it!” Yuri laughed, burying his face in his hands. “It's only 10 days away now!”

Phichit was scrolling down through the massive amount of texts he was also receiving from classmates, family and friends when first one Instagram notification, then another and another, stopped him in his tracks.

“Uh... Yuri?” Yuri looked up as Phichit held his phone out to show him the notifications for his Instagram account.

**Instagram**

v-nikiforov has followed you

**Instagram**

v-nikiforov liked your post

**Instagram**

v-nikiforov commented to your post

Phichit hurriedly swiped on the last of the three notifications so it would take him directly to the comment.

_**v-nikiforov** Hello boys! Your auditions were so great! Congratulations! I'm so excited to meet you both, see you soon!_

“Oh god he's stalking the tags,” Phichit laughed. “But I'm really not surprised, he's always loved interacting with people online. I... Yuri?”

Yuri was bright red, a hand over his mouth. “He said we were both great...”

Phichit grinned. “Senpai has noticed you! Looks like you already won! You can stay home now!”

Yuri gasped and threw a pillow at Phichit then. “Shut up!”

“He's gonna fall in love with youuuuuu!” Phichit teased.

“Shut _up!_ ” Yuri cried, smacking him with a second pillow, then flopping back on the couch, at which Phichit pounced on his friend and started tickling him mercilessly.

“Weeee're going to Hollywood and Yuri's gonna fall in loooooooveeee!” Phichit singsonged as Yuri shoutlaughed until he managed to shove his hyper BFF off onto the floor with a thud.

“Oh my god we have to start packing, and make sure we don't lose this apartment, and we have to make sure you'll be okay with deferring your classes...” Yuri's mind started racing. “Oh god and plane tickets!!!”

“Yuri! It's okay, we'll be fine! The show is taking care of our flight out, we're just responsible for the one back if we need it. And everything else is covered. We have ten days. I know this is overwhelming but we'll be fine. We've always had each other's backs and that's not going to change.”

Yuri sighed then, willing himself to calm down. “I know. I just... I'm still in denial that this is actually happening!”

Phichit mimicked Cher's _Moonstruck_ slap then. “Well snap out of it!” he laughed.

Yuri looked down at his phone, where a notification preview showed an all-caps message from Mari with a link. He followed it...

...to Bruno Mars tweeting a link to the video on the show's site of Yuri's audition, telling him it was fantastic, and wishing him well. Yuri stared at it dumbfounded before showing it to Phichit, whose eyes also went wide.

“Welp,” Phichit said with a shake of his head, “So it begins.”

 

 

 

It was already dawn in St. Petersburg, and Victor had just finished surfing around, using the show-designated hashtags to find the other contestants featured on the broadcasts and discovering many that hadn't been. He followed as many as he could, checking out YouTube channels and social media, trying to see what he would be up against.

At 27, he was getting “too old” for the music industry, which was made up of people mostly in their early 20s unless they'd been in the business for a while. This was probably his last chance at any kind of record deal, and even if he didn't win at least his name was out there in the universe now and had hopefully opened a few doors. He looked at his phone one more time; he was already up to 50,000 followers on Twitter and Instagram where each had only been around 2k before the broadcast. He wouldn't be posting anything more to his YouTube channel for a bit, as per the show's contract, but he was still racking up subscribers there as well.

He then went back to the Superstar Grand Prix website on his laptop, where all the televised auditions had been posted in their entirety as some had been edited for time on the broadcasts. He navigated down through to the Y's, with everyone listed by first name. He noted with a bit of amusement the two Yuris before clicking on Yuri Katsuki's name.

Victor had thought he'd done a decent version of “When I Was Your Man” for his channel, but now he wanted to take the video of his version down. The emotion in his voice, the sensitive piano playing... Yuri Katsuki had nailed it all. And now he was seeing that Bruno himself had tweeted about Yuri's audition. It made him smile. He most certainly deserved the praise, even if he did feel slightly jealous; many of Victor's followers had tweeted his cover at Bruno, but he'd never gotten a response.

As he lay back in bed, finally setting the phone down to get some sleep, he decided that Yuri Katsuki was going to be the one to watch for. The editing of the two episodes had not been coincidence, with Yuri ending the first hour and Victor the second. The producers were setting up a battle royale between two very different singers before either had stepped foot on the Hollywood stage in the same room. But it wouldn't have happened at all if it wasn't warranted. Yuri Katsuki had the makings of a superstar, and it would have been easy to see even without the creative editing.

_I look forward to this challenge, Yuri Katsuki. Let this bring out the best in both of us._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who didn't watch Idol, a few notes on references:
> 
> Names: Over the years watching the show there have been a fair amount of times where the judges and even Ryan Seacrest stumbling over an unusual name was made note of, especially in the auditions. Some contestants, like Jena Irene, whose name was pronounced "Gina", often would find themselves correcting the judges even as the show neared its end. Sometimes the judges would ask before attempting to say the name, but most of the time the flub would be used for comic relief, especially in the pre-taped audition and Hollywood Week shows.
> 
> Editing: Especially toward the end of Idol's run, it became pretty obvious when editing would set up a person to be the "villain" or the "favorite", and the opportunity was always taken to appear to pit friend against friend if they auditioned together (or sibling against sibling). Hollywood Week was the best example of this, where the contestants that were set up from auditions onward would have their first impressions written in stone by the pre-taped shows, usually during the "Group Round" episode. Very often, later on with the live shows, that narrative would turn into "they've turned over a new leaf!" when the contestant ended up being more humble/down to earth than first portrayed and ended up actually being likable.
> 
> What Yakov says to Yuri about "if the show stays about talent and not other things" is a direct reference to [this pivotal moment](https://youtu.be/dlsE97oPJYc?t=4m25s) in eventual Season 7 winner David Cook's journey on Idol. Many people bitched about Simon Cowell's meanness, but he was spot on much more often than not and didn't hold back. Obviously Yakov is Simon in this fic; I am picturing Minako as Season 8/9 judge Kara Dioguardi personality-wise but with Paula Abdul's career, and Celestino as a cross between judges Randy Jackson (who was a member of Journey in the 80s before becoming a producer) and Keith Urban (for personality and musical knowledge).
> 
> The improvisations Yuri used in his audition performance are from [Bruno Mars' live performances](https://youtu.be/wuikDDl02UQ?t=2m28s) of the song. Yuri didn't use all of these obviously, but I picture him getting into it enough to belt out the most striking high notes and one or two choice runs. He kept the ending short like the studio version but did add his own touches to it. I am picturing Yuri as a cross between Kris Allen and David Archuleta in this AU.
> 
> ETA 10/29/17 - I caught a continuity error re: Leo's audition song that I missed. It's been changed from "Still Alive" to the One Direction song "Perfect".
> 
> This second chapter was a lot easier to write; hopefully I am hitting my stride now. :) As always thanks for reading!


	3. Hurray for Hollywood Week - Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morooka: After a total of six months of open call and Judges' Round auditions, the pool of potential Superstars has been narrowed down to a lucky group who have made it to Hollywood. But with this many still left in the running, there are plenty more cuts to be made. Welcome to Hollywood Week, or as the judges are calling it, “Boot Camp” – a crash course in just what's needed to make it to the top of the charts. More than half of the 600 people walking in the doors of the Pasadena Civic Center today will be gone by the end of the first solo performance rounds tomorrow, and those that are left will have to survive the biggest test: The Group Round, where new friendships and even old ones can be tested to their limits as the pressure of competing alongside the best of the best will cause many to fold. Finally, the Sudden Death Solo Rounds will bring an end to Hollywood Week. Strap yourselves in and get ready for the drama, the amazing performances, and for the brightest stars to shine above the rest as they reach for their dreams. THIS... is SUPERSTAR GRAND PRIX!!

**Morooka:** After a total of six months of open call and Judges' Round auditions, the pool of potential Superstars has been narrowed down to a lucky group who have made it to Hollywood. But with this many still left in the running, there are plenty more cuts to be made. Welcome to Hollywood Week, or as the judges are calling it, “Boot Camp” – a crash course in just what's needed to make it to the top of the charts. More than half of the 600 people walking in the doors of the Pasadena Civic Center today will be gone by the end of the first solo performance rounds tomorrow, and those that are left will have to survive the biggest test: The Group Round, where new friendships and even old ones can be tested to their limits as the pressure of competing alongside the best of the best will cause many to fold. Finally, the Sudden Death Solo Rounds will bring an end to Hollywood Week. Strap yourselves in and get ready for the drama, the amazing performances, and for the brightest stars to shine above the rest as they reach for their dreams. THIS... is SUPERSTAR GRAND PRIX!!

 

**Hollywood Week: Solo Performance Rounds, Day 1**

Yuri and Phichit had arrived in Los Angeles late the previous evening, and were pretty certain that there were quite a few more contestants on their shuttle bus to the Le Meridien Hotel from the tired chatter they'd heard as they rode through the city from LAX. After coming from chilly Detroit the warm weather was most welcome, but it still wasn't helping Yuri wake up at the absurdly early hour of 6 am for the 7:30 am lobby call. He cuddled his second mug of coffee as he read over the itinerary for the next week after the pair returned from the breakfast buffet downstairs.

“So basically today is hurry up and wait,” Yuri said. “The first half of the 600 of us will perform today for the judges, the second half tomorrow. There will be cuts at the end of both days.”

“Damn, cuts today already? Could you imagine getting all the way here to sing one song and go home?” Phichit said as he worked on his scrambled eggs.

Yuri was nudging at his French toast with his fork as he pondered the concept. “Yeah seriously, especially if you're from overseas. At least we only came from Detroit. I can't imagine being from as far away as Russia for example and having to leave tonight.”

Phichit noticed Yuri not eating and gave him a nudge. “Don't get worried already. We're both going to make it. And you better eat, who knows what kind of lunch we're going to get. Besides, that French toast looks amazing and if you don't eat it I will.”

Yuri smirked and started eating again. “I just wish I had more time to practice. I'm glad I brought my half-size keyboard but the couple hours we got in last night wasn't a hell of a lot.”

“Yeah, we probably could have kept going, I heard other people on our floor singing way later than us. But I'm glad we got more sleep, because napping in the audience today would not be a good look,” Phichit noted.

The pair found they had just barely enough time to finish breakfast, shower and figure out what to wear before it was time to head downstairs, where the lobby was already buzzing with contestants. Handlers for the show were directing people to their buses, passes for which had been included in each registration packet they'd received upon their arrival the night before. As Yuri and Phichit climbed on board their bus, Yuri's ears were immediately drawn to a pair of young men chattering in Japanese of a dialect that sounded quite familiar; as they found a seat he found himself across the aisle from Kenjirou and another Japanese man that hadn't been shown on TV. Kenjirou glanced over in passing, then did a double-take.

“Ahhh! Katsuki Yuri! I'm so glad I finally get to meet you!” he said in his high-pitched voice (too high, too chipper for this early in the morning, Yuri noted inwardly).

Yuri extended his hand for a shake. “Hi, nice to meet you too. Your audition was really great.”

Kenjirou broke into a grin. “Oh my god I was so _hyped!_ I just knew it went great! I knew they were going to put me through!” Phichit stifled the giggle that nearly escaped when the other Japanese man sitting by the window rolled his eyes and stuffed his earbuds into his ears.

“Sometimes you can just feel it when it's a good performance,” Yuri nodded, trying to remain civil despite the nagging feeling that it would be quite difficult to do so with this hyper kid for very long. He was hoping they weren't seated together for the performances; he was already beginning to wrestle his own anxiety and didn't need anything else to set him on edge.

The handler assigned to the bus stood up front and got everyone's attention as the buses pulled away from the hotel to run down the events of the day. All 300 contestants in Group A would perform abbreviated versions of their first solo song, which they'd been asked to keep to two minutes and 45 seconds maximum. Depending on how the judges were feeling it, they may or may not be allowed to finish. Everything would move quickly, so when their names were called they were to respond by immediately heading to the stage. The goal was to start at 9 am and be done by 6 pm with an hour for lunch. Group B would be watching from the audience today; what was left of Group A at the end of today would be present for Group B's performances tomorrow.

The bus grew silent then as the reality was put forth for the first of what would be many times that day: there was a good chance that more than a few of the 50 people on the bus Yuri and Phichit were in would be gone at the end of the day. From here on out, it was do your absolute best or be cut and have your dream end. Yuri drew in a deep breath, leaning back into the seat and exhaling sharply; in response Phichit wrapped an arm around his best friend's shoulders.

“You will be amazing. I've heard you do this song a million times, and it's always perfect. Don't worry, Yuri. You and I will both make it through today.” He gave Yuri's shoulders a squeeze then.

“I know. I just need to not think about how quickly it could all end. I just have to only look as far as the next performance. It's just... no performance I've ever done till now has ever been this important.”

“No matter what, people are already aware of you. I mean, you've got almost 100,000 followers on Twitter already! Even if it doesn't go past this, you have a toe in the door. It's more than we both had before.”

Yuri drew in another breath and nodded. “That's true. Everything will be worth learning if nothing else.”

Their conversation had made the ride to the Pasadena Civic Center seem quite short and soon the buses were pulling up in front of the building. As the contestants filed into the lobby, Group A was directed to the left of the performance hall, and Group B, which would perform the next day, to the right to settle in as spectators for the day. As Yuri and Phichit followed their group and filed into their seats (Kenjirou and his companion had moved ahead quickly and were a few rows of seats closer to the front), they found themselves in a row filled mostly with people that hadn't been shown on TV. In the row ahead of them and to the far left Phichit pointed out JJ, who was sitting next to a woman named Isabella who they also remembered from the Toronto auditions.

In front of them was what looked like a young man with longish light brown hair, at least from the back; as he turned around to see how much the theater had filled up they recognized him as Leo de la Iglesia, an American who had been quite interesting in his televised audition from Los Angeles. He was about to turn back around when he noticed the pair out of the corner of his eye and focused on them, smiling warmly.

“Hi Yuri, Phichit!” he smiled, “I'm Leo! Man you both were so amazing in your auditions! Congrats on making it here!” Leo reached over his seat to shake both their hands.

“You too,” Phichit replied. “I've always liked that One Direction song you did but I honestly think your version was better than theirs.”

“Aw man thanks! I was worried it wasn't enough to show off my range but I got lucky and they liked it,” Leo shrugged with another smile. He was about to say something more when his attention got diverted to someone coming down the center aisle as Group B filed into their seats.

“Dude. That Russian guy just came in. Holy shit. Do we even stand a chance?” Leo murmured, ducking down partway behind the seat to conceal his face as he spoke.

Yuri knew exactly who Leo was talking about. He didn't dare turn around, but a few moments later Victor Nikiforov walked past, chatting in Russian with Yuri Plisetsky and Mila Babicheva, with Otabek Altin following behind. Victor was much taller than Yuri had thought as he watched him from behind as Victor paused to let his companions file into the row, then sat down on the aisle seat two rows up and diagonally across from them.

“I've been following him on YouTube since early 2011 when a video of one of his cover songs came up in my recommendations,” Yuri murmured. “He was good when he started out but now? Oh my god. His audition was insane, I didn't even know he could do that. He's only ever played piano and guitar in his videos but never been in full performance mode like that.”

“Seriously?? Damn, I wish I'd known, I'd have been stanning hardcore,” Leo said. “At least you have bragging rights and can say you knew him when!”

“Well I don't _know_ him!” Yuri said. “But I've watched him really grow and get better and yeah... He'll probably win this whole thing outright.”

“Well hello there boys!”

Leo, Yuri and Phichit all looked up in unison as Christophe Giacometti paused by their seats with a grin.

“Your auditions were simply _stunning_ ,” Christophe began. “I especially swooned over yours, Yuri. And you even got a tweet from Bruno himself!! How amazing for you!”

Yuri had already felt the flush rising from his neck and traveling up, but he thought he was going to pass out when out of the corner of his eye he saw Victor swivel in his seat at Christophe's words to face them.

“Y..yeah, I was pretty blown away by that myself. I never expected that at all,” Yuri stammered. “But your audition was pretty amazing too.”

“Oh yeah! I don't think I've ever heard “Intoxicated” sung that... sexily,” Leo said.

“Oh that was _mild_ ,” Christophe said, waving the compliment off with a flick of his hand. “There's times I've done it on the pole where I've... been rather over... _come._ ”

Across the aisle, Victor snortlaughed loudly as Mila burst into laughter.

“Oh my god we got a first class bullshitter here!” Victor called from his seat. “Save it for the stage, darling.”

Christophe turned, clearly feigning being affronted as he stalked toward Victor; most of the contestants within earshot of the exchange were already giggling.

“Oh look at you Mr. Victor Mercury,” Christophe sniffed. “Trying to take Adam Lambert's job, are we?”

Victor flashed what had to be the brightest smile Yuri had ever seen as he flipped his silver hair out of his ridiculously blue eyes. “That's the plan. What's yours?”

“Ohhhhh shiiiiiiiiiiii!!!” Leo called out, “Throwin' it down already!”

Before the lighthearted trash talk could continue the sound of someone tapping a microphone caught the attention of the room; Christophe said something to Victor before he headed back up the aisle a few rows past Yuri, Phichit and Leo to his seat on the other side with Group B. Everyone turned to face the stage as Seung Gil called for the contestants to be seated as they were about to begin, and then introduce Hisashi Morooka, who was greeted with a rollicking round of applause and cheers by the assembled contestants.

“Hello, hello! Welcome to Hollywood everyone!” Hisashi began. “Congratulations to all of you for making it this far. That's the good news. The bad news is, it only gets tougher from here. Today will be the first day of performances from Group A, on this side (he motioned to his right) of the theater. At the end of the day, we fully expect a minimum of half of you to be gone. You will all want to bring your A game, especially since you all already know how tough our judges are. That said, let's bring them out. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Minako Okukawa, Celestino Cialdini and Yakov Feltsman!”

The assembled contestants applauded and cheered as the three people who would decide their fates in the coming days walked out from the wings, pausing at center stage with Minako holding a microphone.

“Welcome everyone, and congratulations again!” she began. “It's pretty insane to see all of you together like this. We knew we put through 600 people total, but this really puts into perspective how tough this will be. You all made it here because you had something that caught our attention, something that made us feel you were talented enough to have this chance to prove yourselves. But that means you're up against the best out of half a million people. Think about that for a second: _Half. A million. People._ No matter what happens in the next two days, the fact that you made it _here?_ That means you've got _something_ , and you shouldn't give up even if your journey ends sooner than you hope. In this business you hear a hell of a lot more 'no' than you ever will 'yes',* but you let that drive you.”

She then handed the mic to Celestino. “Minako's absolutely right. Trust me, we hate cutting people as much as you hate getting cut. But that's the nature of the beast. What you'll see in this next week is a concentrated version of what this business is like. There's a lot of scratching and clawing and hard work that goes into every step up the ladder you gain. As hard as it will be this week for those that make it to the end? You'll still have _no_ idea. Trust me.”

He then handed the mic to Yakov. “I have been in this business a long time. Not everyone makes it. Sometimes people who maybe shouldn't still connect with an audience and they become stars. And sometimes the ones that should be superstars end up back where they started. The point is, nothing is written in stone. This is the beginning of a journey. Even if you win, there is more hard work to come. This is not a free ride, and just because you win this competition doesn't mean you'll be on top forever. You have to want it bad enough to keep going. That is what this week will teach you: How badly you really want this, and how far you'll go to get it. Learn from everything.”

Yakov handed the mic back to Hisashi then. “All right, you heard it. Make or break time starts now. We have on stage with us the Superstar Grand Prix Band, headed up by our musical director Takeshi Nishigori. They've prepared shortened versions of all the songs you were given to choose from for this week in your post-audition information packets, and they'll be accompanying you. Those of you who wish to play piano or guitar, please let Seung Gil know as you come up to the stage and they'll have it ready. Judges, please take your seats... and here we go.”

 

Contrary to what everyone had thought, the contestants weren't being called in the order they were seated or even in alphabetical order. Instead it seemed more random, likely to catch each person as off-guard as the last. For quite some time most of the performances were people that hadn't made the broadcasts, or those briefly mentioned in montages of good but otherwise unremarkable performances. After two-hour block there was a 15-minute break, during which as many people as possible would file out to head to the lavatories or to grab something from the snack bar that had been opened for the day.

But the waiting only served to make Yuri more nervous as he began to overthink everything from his song choice to how he should perform it even though that had been all set in stone the night before with feedback from Phichit, who was always brutally honest with Yuri which he appreciated. He'd hoped to keep running over the words to the song in his mind – if there was one thing he'd learned from watching American Idol, it was never, ever forget your words – but hearing each contestant sing a completely different song than the one in his head was throwing him off. It seemed that no one had chosen the song he had from the list, at least not yet. Many were going with current hits which Yuri felt didn't serve their voices very well; he and Phichit had begun to make a game of trying to figure out who would stay and go, writing down their guesses as the day went on. Finally, as one particularly bland contestant exited the stage, Celestino called a name that the pair both recognized.

“Sara Crispino to the stage please,” he called; from a few rows behind them she rose and walked down the center aisle to the polite applause and cheers that had been given to each contestant from their fellow contestants all day. Yuri had also noted that when anyone came down the center aisle, as they passed Victor he would call out “good luck”. Some would thank him, others ignore him, but as Sara walked by she gave him a smile and a thanks.

Hisashi waited at center stage to greet her, microphone in hand. “Sara Crispino, nice to see you again! How have you been since we saw you in Rome?”

“Really great, but things started to get crazy after the show aired,” she laughed. “I have people coming up to me on the streets to wish me luck, it's so weird but it's been fun.”

“Well let's hope you have a lot more where that came from. What are you singing for us today?”

“I'm doing “Halo” by Beyoncé,” she said.

“All right, good luck!” Hisashi said as he stepped back then exited to stage right.

Sara walked up to the microphone, brushing her hair back with a hand. She tried not to look at the audience, which was lit by the stage lights until about 10 rows back, where they became harder to see. It still was more people than she had ever sung in front of before, and she took a deep breath, then turned to Takeshi as she'd been instructed backstage by Seung Gil and nodded to signal that she was ready, and the band began to play. For a moment she felt the nerves creeping in and closed her eyes, visualizing the words in her head and pretending for all the world that she was in her bedroom back home as she began to sing. She felt the first few notes come out a bit shaky; she hadn't had a chance to warm up properly while she'd been sitting in the audience, something she'd noticed more than one contestant have a problem with. But by the second line of the song she felt her voice smooth out and she gained more confidence. By the end, she was full-on belting the chorus, letting the emotions of the moment take her.

Yuri heard a male voice whooping and hollering as Sara's performance continued amidst the other applause and calls of encouragement; he turned around briefly and spotted her brother Michele, whose audition had also been televised, standing up and cheering her on. It made him wish he had at least his sister Mari there, but she'd already told him she was saving up for the trip and would come if he made it to the live shows. Sara finished her song and took a quick bow as the room applauded her before she left the stage.

Phichit blinked in surprise then as he heard his name called next. Yuri rose to let him out of their row, pausing to give a hug to his best friend for luck. As Phichit started up the center aisle, Victor turned in his seat with a smile; Yuri watched as Victor extended a hand to Phichit, who in turn shook it and said thank you to his good luck wish. The Russian had done this for no one else so far that day.

Phichit broke into his usual megawatt smile as he walked out onto the stage, the one that Yuri knew well from all of his friend's theatrical performances at college. Phichit was a natural star, and if only one of the two of them were going to make it through, it was definitely going to be him, at least, that's what Yuri believed.

“Hello again Phichit!” Hisashi smiled, shaking his hand. “So I hear you've gotten quite a following on social media since your audition aired.”

“Yes!” Phichit grinned. “I haven't looked today but it's been crazy. It's pretty amazing but humbling too.”

“Well it's always great to have some support going in,” Hisashi nodded. “What are you singing for us today?”

“I picked 'Shut Up and Dance' by Walk the Moon,” he replied.

“All right, let's hear it!” Hisashi replied, and with a pat on the back for luck he left the stage.

Phichit signaled to the band and they started into the uptempo song, one Yuri had heard him sing millions of times as it had been one of his favorites. He fell right into his stage persona, his singing on perfect pitch as he bounced around the stage, getting the audience fired up for the first time all day as he motioned for them to clap along. By the end of the song a good portion of the contestants gave him a rollicking standing ovation; Yuri noticed that Victor was one of those standing, clapping and whistling his approval.

Phichit returned to his seat practically floating down the aisle, accepting kudos from those on the end seats including Victor, who gave him a high-five. Phichit almost jumped over Yuri to get back to his own seat; Yuri hugged him and Leo turned around to high-five him as well.

“Oh my god that was _awesome!_ ” Phichit grinned. “Once you're up there you kinda forget everyone's watching and just go for it.”

“You've always been good at that,” Yuri nodded. “I hope I can pull off half as good of a performance!”

“Seriously, me too!” Leo said. “There's no way you're not going through.” His thoughts were cut off as his name was called next, and both Yuri and Phichit laughed at Leo's deer-in-the-headlights face before he jumped up and ran up the aisle, too fast for Victor's usual good luck wish; Yuri laughed again as Victor sat with an index finger in the air, mid-word, for a moment or two before laughing and then applauding as Leo took the stage.

Leo paused for a moment as one of the band members gave him an acoustic guitar, then he began his song, “Stitches” by Shawn Mendes, with just the guitar and his voice. Yuri was impressed at how steady his lower register was; as he went into the chorus Leo's voice shifted from lower to higher register with ease.

“I think I like him doing this song better than the original performer,” Phichit murmured to Yuri. “His voice has a bit more character to it.”

“It's a good voice but you can tell he's thinking through it,” Yuri said. “I can tell by how he's breathing that he's still working on learning to control it.”

True to Yuri's observation Leo was a bit winded by the end of the song, his voice losing steam near the end but holding on enough to finish, the last notes a cappella as in the original song. He received a good round of applause but not near the level of Phichit's reception. As he came back down the aisle the pair could see the concern in his face; this time Leo noticed Victor's extended hand and paused to listen to a few words, then thanked him and returned to his seat.

“Aww, Victor's so nice,” Leo said. “He asked me if I was okay. Not gonna lie, I can do better so I'm kinda mad right now.”

“It was still really good. You just need to work on your breathing control,” Yuri said. “When you're belting you have to kind of conserve your breath.”

“Yeah I just started formal lessons about 18 months ago and I forget sometimes,” Leo sighed. “I hope it was good enough to at least get to the next round.”

The trio turned back to the stage as JJ was called up next and watched the Canadian head up the aisle on the left end of their section, waving to everyone as they applauded. He bounded up onto the stage, already taking a bow; Yuri and Phichit heard a few groans near them and some murmurs about “the big headed kid from Canada”.

“He's nervous,” Yuri noted as JJ spoke with Hisashi. “He's all over the place.”

Phichit nodded. “Yeah... I hope he can keep it together because if he tries too hard it will affect his performance.”

JJ started into a song by Michael Bublé called “It's a Beautiful Day”, seeming to waver a bit in the beginning but by the first chorus had warmed up considerably. Yuri noted that he seemed to be trying to replicate what Phichit had done to get the crowd going, bouncing from one side of the stage to the other and singing to the people in the front row. He ended the song with a flourish, flashing a huge grin and bowing several times before leaving the stage, with the audience applauding heartily as he appeared to overcome his nerves.

Next up was Kenjirou, who did a very animated version of Justin Bieber's “Baby” that had some in the audience singing along, and Guang Hong Ji, the shy Chinese kid that had auditioned in Tokyo who sang an English version of K-pop artist Jay Park's song “Me Like Yuh”, which both Yuri and Phichit knew. Both young men did very well and fit right in with current pop artists with their voices and presentation.

“If they both make it all the way there's gonna be fan wars big time,” Leo said. “They're so similar.”

“Oh yeah for sure,” Phichit said. “But I think I like Guang Hong a bit better, he's more...”

“Calm?” Yuri laughed.

“Yeah... Kenjirou needs to switch to decaf!” Phichit grinned.

The next near to two hours passed quickly with breaks and performances, more of which seemed to be getting cut off early by the judges as the number of people left to sing began to dwindle down. This didn't help Yuri's composure at all, and before long Phichit and Leo were doing there best to keep Yuri from overthinking too much more until finally, after Kenjirou's seat-mate from the bus, Hikaru Fujiwara had performed, Minako called Yuri's name. As he rose both Leo and Phichit gave him a hug and he stepped out into the aisle.

He was trying very hard not to look up, but knew it would be rude not to so as he moved forward Yuri raised his eyes to see Victor turned in his seat to face him as he walked closer, that amazing smile on his face, hand extended for a shake. Yuri walked up, his heart already racing from the anticipation of performing as he accepted the Russian's hand.

“Good luck, Yuri,” the voice he'd listened to countless times on more than a hundred videos said. “I guess I had better watch closely, since we already know you can do Bruno Mars better than me.” The friendly jibe was punctuated with a wink of the eye that was partially veiled by Victor's hair. Somehow, instead of intimidating Yuri as it normally would have from anyone else, he felt a sudden surge of confidence as he took Victor's words as a complement, and he felt a sly smirk cross his face.

“Don't take your eyes off of me. Not for a second,” he replied, causing Victor's eyebrows to raise as he smirked with an air of challenge; next to him, Plisetsky snorted and muttered “oh please”. Yuri then headed up to the stage accompanied by a modest round of applause; as he dared a glance at the audience he saw Sara standing up in her seat applauding for a few moments before she sat down.

As Takeshi moved a keyboard out to front center stage per Yuri's request, Hisashi greeted him warmly.

“Welcome back Yuri, good to see you again. So I've heard you had quite the surprise after your audition aired,” Hisashi noted.

Yuri couldn't help but smile even though he felt himself flush bright red. “Yes... Bruno Mars tweeted about my audition. I was pretty blown away,” he replied. “He's one of my favorite artists.”

“Nothing like a stamp of approval from an idol!” Hisashi smiled, giving Yuri's shoulder a pat. “And what are you going to play for us today?

“My mom asked me to do this song because it's one of her favorites, so, 'Your Song' by Elton John,” Yuri replied. There were a few “awwws” in the audience.

“Ah, going out to Mom then,” Hisashi smiled. “Good luck Yuri-san.” He left the stage with a final nod.

Yuri sat at the keyboard, noticing it was the same model as the one he had back in Detroit. A quick glance confirmed it was on the “piano” setting and he adjusted the height of the mic, took a deep breath, closed his eyes and began to play. After the first few moments Yuri felt himself slip into the comfort of his music, something that had always calmed his nerves and helped him to focus.

He'd been singing even before he could form words, from what his mother had told him; there were home videos of him vocalizing to music his mother and father would listen to. His mother had always encouraged his interest in music and so had his sister Mari; his father had been dubious at first until he'd watched his son blossom under formal training for piano, then guitar, and eventually voice. Yuri wanted to show them that what he hoped to make a career out of wasn't a mistake, that it could be a 'real job'. He was damn good at it, even if sometimes his nerves got the best of him. He hadn't graduated with flying colors for nothing. It was time to show the world what he could do.

The emotions that swirled in his head as he continued with the song began to reflect in his delivery of it, and as he finished the final chorus with a few minor embellishments to the melody he felt himself begin to tremble and as he let the last piano notes ring out, he blinked back a swell of tears threatening to form. He felt it. He knew it. He'd nailed it.

He came out of the mini-trance he always went into when he performed a song that meant a lot to him to find that about 90 percent of the audience was standing... including Minako and Celestino at the judges' table, something that had only been seen a scant few times during the day. Yuri rose, feeling himself flushed and took a bow, then waved to the room bashfully before heading off the stage. As he walked back down the center aisle toward his seat he found himself turning his head to acknowledge all the complimentary words: “that was amazing”, “so gorgeous”, “great job”; some were even still applauding.

As he neared his seat he saw someone stand up off to his left and looked up to see Victor step out into the aisle, opening his arms for a hug. Yuri was just in the right frame of mind that he threw caution to the wind and walked into the other man's arms. He'd expected a light hug and a word or two, but found himself in a literal embrace; he wrapped his own arms lightly around Victor's back, hugging him through the same leather jacket he'd worn for his televised audition.

“That was amazing,” Victor said into his ear. “Fantastic performance Yuri. I think you can relax, you'll be going through no problem.” Victor pulled back and grinned, angling his head down at Yuri who stood about three inches shorter than the Russian.

“Thanks,” Yuri smiled back. “I definitely hope it was enough.”

“It better be,” Mila chimed in from the third seat over. “You made me cry!”

Yuri blinked at that, unsure how to respond. “Uh... sorry, I didn't mean to make you sad,” he said; Mila giggled in response and assured him she was fine. As the next performer was called up Yuri stepped back from Victor, who sat back down with one final wink in his direction. Phichit greeted Yuri with a crushing hug, trying to keep his voice down as the next contestant had begun their song.

“Oh my _god_ you were ridiculous up there!” Phichit murmured; Leo nodded enthusiastically from his seat. “I've never seen you so in the zone, wow.”

“Something just clicked. I hope I can figure out what it was,” Yuri said. “I need to bottle it.”

“Sometimes you just find you're born to be on the stage,” Phichit said. “I've known that about you forever, but now I think you're learning it too.”

 

Once all the performances were completed there was a break during which the judges did their deliberations about who would stay and go; in the meantime the contestants of Group A waited on pins and needles. Yuri and Phichit had just barely finished wolfing down a shared order of nachos from the snack bar when the call for everyone to return to their seats was made.

The judges began calling Group A up to the stage in batches of 25; they would then call five to six people forward, then tell each individual to either step to the front or remain where they were. It changed each time, but either the front row stayed and the back row went home or vice-versa; they kept it random enough that it was very difficult to guess who would make it. Several of those Yuri and Phichit pegged for elimination did not make it through, and there were definitely a few surprises as those with what many thought were very good performances were cut. It was easy to feel the tension rising in the room as the numbers dwindled, and Yuri noticed that some who had yet to be called gave hostile glances to some that had made it. He tried to stuff the nagging feeling down that grabbed him whenever he thought about only he or Phichit making it through and not both; he knew it would never change their friendship, but at the same time he still worried.

A group containing both Sara and Hikaru was then called to the stage. They were both told to step forward, then Minako changed her mind on Hikaru and told him to step back. There was a pause that was probably only about 30 seconds but felt like an eternity before she announced that Sara, the only one from that group in front, was going through and those behind were cut. Sara tried not to be too happy out of respect for the others, but Hikaru walked over and gave her a congratulatory hug and they left the stage together.

The next group contained JJ, Leo, Guang Hong and Isabella; Celestino did the picks this time and at first, told JJ to step forward, then step back again. As JJ, Leo and Guang Hong watched, the front row of their group, including Isabella, was cut; she left the stage in tears with JJ following and attempting to comfort her.

Finally, the last group of 25 were called that contained Yuri and Phichit. Of their group of six, they were the only two told to step forward; Yakov mercifully did not drag it out and announced that all those standing behind Yuri and Phichit – including those not yet called forward, a total of 23 people – were going home. Yuri cringed as a few angry voices and a few wails emanated from behind him; he felt guilty about embracing Phichit to congratulate him as they headed off the stage. That had been, far and away, the most brutal cut of the entire night. Two contestants had the guts to argue with the judges, with one guy getting exceptionally angry to the point that security was nearly called. Yuri looked over at Group A's side of the theater as he found his seat again; he was pretty sure that only about 100 of the original 300 remained, the theater that much more empty and the reality brought home that anyone could go at any time.

Hisashi took the stage for the final time of the night, looking around to gauge the overall feeling of the room before proceeding.

“Really tough ending to the night,” he acknowledged. “Congratulations to all in Group A that have gone through to the next round. We will resume tomorrow with Group B's performances. Please wait for the chaperons to guide you to your buses, and we'll see you in the morning.”

“Well, now we can relax tomorrow,” Phichit said.

“I wish we could stay at the hotel,” Yuri replied. “I really want to work on my next song.”

“We have the group rounds first,” Leo noted. “You won't need your final song for a bit yet.”

“You sound pretty sure I'll make it,” Yuri laughed as their section was told to head to their bus and the trio headed up the aisle.

“So wait. We haven't talked about what happened when you came back from your performance,” Phichit said.

“What?” Yuri asked; he was so tired at this point that moment had felt like it was days ago and not just over two hours.

“Victor! He _hugged_ you!” Phichit cried as they got onto the bus; Yuri noticed Kenjirou sitting quietly at a window, his friend Hikaru having been cut.

“Oh! Yeah... I don't know what that was about but... I couldn't be rude and walk past him,” Yuri replied.

“You have had a massive crush on this guy for _years_ and that's all you've got?” Phichit asked.

“I mean... he's probably just being nice. He knows he's going to kick my ass eventually,” Yuri said. “There's no way I can compete with him.”

“Are you _kidding me?”_ Leo said. “You might not be as flashy as he is, but you're damn good. So are you Phichit. I would not be surprised if both of you are top 5 minimum, if not the top two.”

“Oh come on!” Yuri said, blushing.

“I'm serious!” Leo grinned. “You were both so great. You guys need to teach me your ways.”

“Just keep watching,” Phichit said. “All three of us are going to be here for a while.”

Leo high-fived him as the bus set off for the hotel. “Hell yeah!” he agreed.

 

**Hollywood Week: Solo Performance Rounds, Day 2**

Victor was very, very happy that he liked coffee, because tea wasn't going to cut it this morning. He was still battling jet lag, having only arrived in California two days before Hollywood Week began, and even though it was the middle of the day in Russia right now and in theory he should be wide awake, he really just wanted to turn back over and fall asleep again.

Instead he got himself up, checking his texts to find one from the Russian choreographer friend who lived in LA that offered to keep Makkachin at his place, letting him know his beloved dog was settling in nicely with the friend's two other pups and a quick video of their morning walk. He was about to call over his shoulder to his roommate when Yuri Plisetsky's phone started blasting its own alarm of some thrash-metal sounding song; the teen groaned loudly and rose.

“Gezus. It's way too fucking early,” Yura growled in Russian as he made his way to the bathroom.

“You can sleep for a bit more if you really want to,” Victor replied, also in their native tongue. “I can go down and get us some breakfast like yesterday.”

“Nah, I'm up now. But if you wanna get it I'll get my shower done.”

Victor rose from the bed then, throwing on some presentable clothes and running a comb through his hair before grabbing the keycard and heading downstairs. Some of the contestants were milling about in the restaurant, but just as many were heading back to their rooms with plates of food. As he waited in line at the buffet Victor looked around to see if he could catch a glimpse of the one person he really wanted to see, but so far Yuri Katsuki hadn't made an appearance.

He'd dug up the few videos Yuri had put on his YouTube channel, had watched his audition several times, and found himself fascinated with the quiet Japanese man. He'd followed him on Twitter as well once he got his own account and was frustrated that Yuri was barely on it, and when he had been it had only been to tweet about practicing for Hollywood save for the one tweet where he said he'd graduated college. But for the most part, Yuri had gone under the radar after his audition had aired, and it had, out of nowhere, driven Victor to distraction for reasons he hadn't figured out yet. Maybe he was just homing in on those he needed to surpass to win; at first, Victor convinced himself that was all it was.

But Yuri returning Victor's playful challenge yesterday on his way to the stage with his own sass had caught him off guard in a good way, and then accepting Victor's offered hug on the way back completely sealed it. For as quiet and somewhat nervous as Yuri seemed, there was a fierce competitor underneath it all. Yuri was going to be the one to watch, whether he realized it yet or not.

And Victor was already watching him... but for a much different reason. It had been a long time since Victor had had a crush. In fact he was pretty sure he was too old to feel like a giddy schoolboy over someone, but yet here he was. The hug from yesterday had been a gamble, Yuri's acceptance of it unexpected but definitely welcome. Now it was time to figure out if Yuri was just friendly, or one of those people who liked to keep their enemies close. Victor hoped it was the former.

Someone behind him snarked at him to wake up and he realized the line had begun to move. He busied himself filling two plates, momentarily forgetting about the thoughts in his already wandering mind. He was just about to leave through the “out” door when out of the corner of his eye, he saw Phichit come in through the opposite side and grab two plates, doing the same thing Victor had just done. Ah, well. He'd see Yuri in a bit at the theater.

Victor headed back upstairs and kicked on the door to knock so Yura would let him in as he carried the plates of food in both hands. He was a bit annoyed to find Mila and Otabek already in the room; the trio had bonded quite well but since they were all younger than Victor, he'd found a bit of disconnect between them and himself. He'd hoped for a quiet breakfast and was now somewhat annoyed, so he put in the earplugs he'd used to sleep (their neighbors in the next room had been singing for a good portion of the night, working on their songs for the day) and ate, scrolling through Instagram on his phone before going to his follow list to find Phichit's account, since everything was posted out of order on the app. He found a selfie with Phichit and Yuri from the bus on the way back last night, but of course they weren't allowed to share that they'd made it through; it was forbidden as it would be revealed on the telecasts come January.

Finishing his breakfast Victor grabbed a quick shower, then dressed and decided to wander a bit rather than stay and listen to the three younger Russians chatter away. He'd always been used to being alone, and the whole social aspect of this experience was taking some getting used to. In Russia, he was pretty well known from his YouTube channel and performances with several bands at clubs over the years, but he was still mostly a St. Petersburg celebrity with a following in Moscow. He had plenty of acquaintances and fewer friends in the music and theater communities, his contact in LA being one of the rare friends but for the most part, he'd been on his own since he'd turned 18 and had been fine that way... until now.

As he emerged from the elevator into the lobby, Victor forced himself to admit he was mostly wandering around to possibly catch up with Yuri. He still hadn't figured out what was drawing him to the younger man, but he did know he wanted to learn more about him. _Incentive to make it through today,_ he thought to himself.

The lobby was already bustling with contestants and the buses beginning to pull up outside, a few less than yesterday now that two-thirds of Group A was gone. Those that had been cut had been taken back to the hotel first, where they'd literally had to pack their bags and take their leave. Victor thought that was a bit cruel, but that's how this business was if you could get into it. As he tried to stave off the thought that he might be in tonight's batch going home, he heard a familiar pair of voices conversing behind him.

“Hi Victor!” Phichit grinned, seeming to go out of his way to circle around to face him; Victor noticed that as Yuri followed, that adorable blush crossed over his face again. “You ready for today?”

“As ready as I can be, I guess,” he smiled. He tried to act like he didn't notice, but he was almost positive Yuri was attempting to look at him more closely without being noticed. Well, that wouldn't do.

“And how are you both feeling after yesterday?” Victor replied, focusing his eyes squarely on Yuri and finding confirmation when Yuri's face turned brighter red and he quickly looked down at his phone.

“I'm so happy!” Phichit said. “I knew Yuri would make it, and I felt pretty good about my song but you just never know.” Victor noticed Phichit edge over and nudge Yuri with an elbow, at which the other man looked up.

“Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm glad it's over but I'm already worried about the next round. I wish I could stay in and practice,” Yuri said. “At least my Sudden Death round song.”

“Ah, intending to make it that far already hm?” Victor asked playfully.

“Well... it's best to be prepared. But that's the plan,” Yuri replied. Victor noted that Yuri seemed a bit less confident and a lot more shy when he wasn't gearing up to perform.

The lobby was getting overcrowded as call time approached, the voices and confusion both rising. The bus chaperons began shouting numbers and directing each bus group to head out. Victor looked up as he heard his number.

“I have to go, see you guys there,” he said as he began to leave.

“Victor!”

The Russian's heart skipped a beat when he realized the voice was Yuri's. He allowed himself a grin before he turned around, but he could feel the flush dusting his nose and cheeks and hoped it wasn't bright enough to give him away. “Yeah?” he responded.

“Good luck... but you probably don't need it,” Yuri said, smiling shyly.

Victor grinned back as the chaperon yelled last call for bus number one. “I'll take it, thank you Yuri.” And he flashed a wink at the blushing Japanese man before turning and hurrying off to the bus.

 

“Whaaaaaat? You made him _blush??_ ”

Leo had gotten onto their bus after catching up with Yuri and Phichit to find Yuri's bright red, face buried in his hands. At first thinking something was wrong, he was highly amused to find that Yuri was only fanboying... hard.

“I don't know what came over me! I mean, he hugged me yesterday, I felt like I had to say something but... I didn't think I'd actually _say_ it!” Yuri stammered, flustered.

“He's got it _bad_ , you have _no_ idea,” Phichit grinned as the bus pulled out into traffic.

“Shut _up!”_ Yuri snapped, burying his face in his hands again.

“Awww Yuri, it's cool, nothing wrong with a crush,” Leo laughed, patting Yuri's shoulder from his seat across the aisle. “Besides, it seems like he likes you.”

Yuri's head shot up. “How do you know that?”

Leo cracked up then. “Chill! Not _like_ like you. At least, not yet. But he's not being an asshole so there's that.”

Yuri drew in a deep breath, exhaling sharply. “Yeah... you're right. It could just be him being nice. He's always seemed like a nice person in his videos... wait, did you say not _yet?_ ”

Both Leo and Phichit broke into laughter now. “Hey, you never know! Keep your options open!” Leo said.

 

The second day of performances had begun the same as the first, save for the fact that Group A was now down to 98 contestants, a fact that was starkly apparent by their very empty side of the theater. Victor was certain that the producers of the show had done this to intimidate those who were left into doing their best. It also afforded him a clear view of Yuri, or at least, the back of his head as he and Phichit sat on the end of the aisle with Leo the third one in, having moved up to the third row with the rest of his group. Once Sara finished speaking with her brother Mickey, who was in Group B, she went over and joined them, sitting next to Leo but pausing to hug each of them and congratulate them first. It mildly annoyed Victor that Sara hugged Yuri just a little longer than the others.

_Stop it. What is wrong with you?_ he thought to himself. _You're strongest on your own. You have to beat him to win this._ And when the latter thought gave him a flash of apprehension Victor shook himself out of his own thoughts. He had to focus. He couldn't be distracted and have a bad performance. It was make or break time.

The first two hours of performances held nothing overly remarkable, but it was rather telling that there were more people being stopped before they finished their songs today than yesterday at this early stage. Victor could almost see it coming when someone was going to be stopped, and soon noted the signs: A passable voice that could carry a tune but had nothing definitive about it, someone who'd chosen a song that did nothing to show what the person's voice could do, most certainly someone who half-murmured through their song and absolutely the three people who completely forgot the words. He already knew, as did most likely everyone, that those three were already out the door. He felt bad for the one teen girl who'd bombed that way as she left the stage in tears after begging for a retry and being denied, but by the same token one had to be prepared.

After a 15 minute break at the two hour mark everyone had settled back in and things began to wake up. The performances had gotten a bit more professional, a bit more polished, and it started to become more difficult to guess who might go home. Near the end of hour three, finally there was a spark as Christophe was called to the stage. Group B was seated the same as yesterday so Victor turned in his seat as Christophe came down the aisle, extending a hand for a good luck handshake; the other man returned it with a wink.

“You won't be congratulating me when I beat you, so I'll take this now,” Christophe grinned; Victor returned the grin with one of his own and a wink.

A round of cheers went up as Christophe – or, as he'd been introduced, Chris – took the stage; he bowed with a flourish and a smile as Hisashi came over with microphone in hand.

“Hello, good to see you again Chris. How are you feeling about today so far?” Morooka asked.

“I'm very confident. I think I've made a good choice of song, no one else has done it yet today,” he smirked; there was a murmur through the audience in response. Five of the late teen to early 20's aged girls had done the same Taylor Swift song that morning in three hours, and by the fifth time there had been an audible groan in the audience.

Hisashi was nonplussed however, but Victor noticed the knowing smirk on his face. “And what are you going to sing for us today?” he continued.

“I've chosen 'Too Funky' by George Michael,” Chris answered; there were some cheers and whistles in the audience in response.

“Ah, I agree, I think that's a fitting choice. Let's hear it then,” Hisashi said, giving Chris a pat on the shoulder before leaving the stage.

The band launched into the song, with Chris already beginning to move to the slinky beat, then started into the vocal with the same sensuous delivery as the original, moving effortlessly from lower to higher register without any waver in tone or missed notes. As the song went on Chris got more animated, and Victor couldn't help but smile and laugh a bit as he noted that Chris' moves were more than a bit indicative of his profession, but it suited him and his personality to a T. The judges let Chris sing the abbreviated version of the song to the end and his performance was met with wild applause, cheers and whistles as well as congratulatory words as he made his way back to his seat. Victor reached out and gave the Swiss man a high five as he decided he definitely had his work cut out for him now. Chris was going to be tough to beat as well.

About a half hour later Mickey Crispino took the stage to modest applause. Victor had been hearing a few murmurs, not the least of which were from Otabek, Mickey's roommate, that Mickey had been rather annoyed about not being allowed to room with his sister even though the roommates were paired by male and female. Apparently Mickey was pretty protective of his twin, and Victor wondered if it might not hinder her if she made it to the top 12.

Mickey began to sing “Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran, and Victor noted immediately that he didn't seem to have a strong enough voice to carry it. He got a bit more soulful toward the end but Victor was sure they'd stop him and was surprised when he was allowed to finish. He was given another polite round of applause as he left the stage, but he definitely didn't seem happy with his performance.

A few more people were chosen, and then Celestino called Mila's name. Victor rose to let her through to the aisle, pausing to give her a hug for luck. Mila looked every bit the edgy rocker chick in her knee-high boots, leather pants, sparkly red cami top and fitted leather jacket, striking blue eyes set off by her flame-red hair. Victor had really liked her voice in her audition and had been looking forward to hearing her sing again.

“Hello Mila, how are you feeling today?” Hisashi asked as she took her microphone.

“Excited, I feel like I waited forever to sing!” she grinned.

“It's definitely taken a while,” Hisashi smiled. “What's your song choice for today?”

“I'm going to do 'Bad Romance' by Lady Gaga, but the rock version by Halestorm,” she replied.

“Well, that certainly sounds interesting! Good luck,” he smiled and took his leave of the stage.

Victor noticed that Takeshi had started this song with a grin as he leaned into the wah-wah pedal he'd run his guitar through for the intro; it was about time someone had woken this place up with an interesting song choice. Mila immediately began to kill it, going from a growly low register to a biting midrange and then a clear, bell-tone high note for the vocalizations in the chorus. Several of the contestants had jumped up and begun to dance in place, including Yuri, Phichit and Leo who were playing air guitar and having a total ball during Mila's very energetic and engaging performance. As the song ended Victor made note that Celestino gave her a standing ovation; her performance was right up his alley as his band was in the same genre. The audience gave her a raucous standing ovation, and Phichit jumped up to congratulate her with a hug as she came down the aisle, which she accepted with a grin before returning to her seat.

“Slay a bit woman!” Victor grinned as he hugged her.

“Oh my god I've wanted to do that song forever! That was so much fun!” she grinned.

“You nailed that, it was perfect,” Otabek nodded as a fifteen minute break was called. “I hope I can do at least half as well.”

“You'll be fine,” Yura said. “You sounded great when you ran through it this morning in the room.” Victor watched as Yura and Otabek pushed past him along with Mila to take advantage of the break; the pair had seemed to become fast friends. Victor opted to stay in his seat, but found he wasn't alone for long as Christophe came over, hopping over the seat from the row behind him and landing in the one next to Victor where Yura had been.

“You were pretty great up there,” Victor smiled. “I'm sure you've got nothing to worry about.”

“I'd better not, or some hell will be raised,” Chris winked. “But I did feel pretty good about it. It's one of the songs I do in my performances.”

“I could tell. You seemed pretty comfortable with it,” Victor replied.

“There's very little I'm _not_ comfortable with, chéri,” he smiled. “And what are you singing today?”

“Ah ah ah. Not telling,” Victor said, raising an index finger. “Keep surprising them, is my motto. All I'll say is no one will expect it after my audition song.”

Chris raised his eyebrows. “Ahhhh, mystique. I am intrigued. I shall await your performance with baited breath,” he grinned, bringing Victor to laughter.

“Are you _always_ this extra?” Victor asked.

“Darling, this is moi, take it or leave it,” Chris said with arms spread open. “I am me, and I strive to remain undefinable.”

Victor was full-out laughing now, thoroughly amused. “I really hope you make it to the top 12 and stay as long as possible, if for nothing else than the entertainment.”

Chris rose as he saw Yura, Otabek and Mila coming back down the aisle. “Well then I'll make that my goal, pretty boy, just for you,” he replied, blowing a kiss Victor's way before hopping over the seat again and heading back to his own.

A few rows up, Phichit had been engaging in professional-level espionage by having his phone with the selfie camera on, appearing to take his photo but instead watching Chris and Victor talk with it.

“Okay Chris just left because the others came back,” he said. “Chris was _definitely_ flirting.”

“Victor was laughing his ass off though, I don't think he was buying it,” Leo said, trying to offset Phichit's play-by-play of their interaction as he saw Yuri's face turn mildly upset.

“I mean... I had a feeling for some reason that they might get along. I think Chris is probably his biggest competition,” Yuri said.

“Yeah, a lot of people seem to think that. There's already shippers on Twitter, they've been calling them Victophe and they hadn't even met yet,” Phichit chimed in; Leo reached around behind Yuri's head to slap the back of Phichit's and give him an angry glare. A nod of Leo's head directed Phichit's attention to Yuri, who was making a show of scrolling through his phone but definitely seemed somewhat upset. Phichit was about to say something when Seung Gil came out onstage to call for everyone to take their seats.

The two hours leading up to the lunch break were relatively uneventful again; Victor had wondered if they'd accidentally front-loaded the solo performances in Group A as it seemed more of the people whose auditions hadn't been televised, and with good reason, seemed to be in his group. As a result, those who stood out where quite the stark contrast. It wasn't long into the afternoon before Yuri Plisetsky was called to the stage to a round of applause and cheers; Mila, Otabek and Victor called out a synchronized “Davai!” that made some of the contestants laugh and Plisetsky flash a thumbs-up from the stage.

“Hello again Yuri,” Hisashi said. “Your audition was one of the standouts in Moscow, how have things been since it aired?”

“I've been recognized some. Some people didn't like my song, but whatever,” he replied.

“I hear your grandpa made the trip with you, I see him in the audience in the family section,” Hisashi noted.

Victor noticed Yura very nearly smile; talking about his grandfather Nikolai was one of the few things that Yura ever seemed to show emotion over. He had to wonder why a kid so young seemed so old. “Yeah, they told me I needed a chaperon because I'm a minor. I didn't think he'd want to make the trip but I'm glad he did.”

“Well you'll have to do him proud then. What are you singing today?”

“I'm gonna do 'Believer' by Imagine Dragons.”

“All right then, off you go.”

Yura wrapped both hands around the microphone, partially obscuring his face as the drummer pounded out the intro to the song. Yura started into it, at first sounding like a carbon copy of the original vocal in diction and cadence. But Victor smiled against the index finger pressed to his lips as Yura then took the advice he'd given him last night when Yura had been practicing his song and began to change up the melody a bit, adding a different improvised note here or there. As the chorus went up into the high notes, his first attempt cracked slightly but the second round went fine. Toward the end of the song Yura pulled the microphone out of the stand and began to walk around the stage a bit, making some eye contact with the first few rows.

Victor made note that while Yura's voice was really well-trained, he needed a lot more experience to develop his own personality as he recognized some of the same movements of Imagine Dragon's singer, a telltale sign Yura had been watching a few too many live videos of the song to learn how to put it forth. He could see the slightest bit of nerves in the teen's performance as it finished, his face betraying that he felt uncertain about how it had gone. He got a decent round of applause but Victor heard someone a few people down to his right in the row behind him mutter “trying too hard”, and Victor had to agree. Yura had to loosen up if he was going to go farther in this competition. Victor decided not to say anything to Yura as he pushed past him and sat down hard in his seat, knowing he'd probably just get a snarky reply in return. Otabek had changed seats with Mila and was sitting next to Yura, trying to reassure him that he'd done well.

Not long after Otabek was called up to the stage. His song choice, “Take Me to Church” by Hozier, was quite the surprise after the rather mild-mannered song he'd done for his audition. Victor noticed Yura sit forward in his seat with a smirk on his face, watching and listening intently as Otabek began, the beginning of it not unlike his audition song “Wake Me Up” in that there wasn't a lot of variation in the melody. But then as the chorus began Otabek's voice jumped up into a higher register that was rather impressive in tone and he continued to carry that into the second verse and chorus with a few moments of falsetto mixed in for the notes in the melody that warranted it. Victor noticed Celestino sit up a bit straighter with interest, apparently also surprised. Otabek was allowed to sing his full song and came off the stage seeming satisfied with his performance as he returned to his seat.

“Well that was great, nice job,” Victor nodded to him. “Always keep them guessing. I think the range you showed will get you through for sure.”

Otabek smiled a bit in response. “I hope so. I felt pretty good about it.”

As the last hours of the day ticked on Yuri, Phichit and Leo were beginning to wonder if they'd forgotten one contestant in particular. If they'd counted right, there were only a few people left to perform, and the next three were stopped before they finished. Even other contestants were beginning to seem a bit confused by one person's conspicuous absence, until the name of the final performer of the day was called by Celestino.

“Victor Nikiforov to the stage please.”

As Victor rose to the cheers and shouts of many of the contestants he felt his heart begin to race. This was it. Every performance could mean the end of the line, but he tried not to think about that as he made his way up to the stage. He focused so completely he didn't even look around him and almost didn't notice Yuri rise from his seat as he drew closer. Not wanting to get too far out of his head, he nodded to Yuri with a soft smile and accepted a low five slap of palms as he passed. He climbed up to the stage, acknowledging the cheers and applause with a nod and wave as he stopped before the microphone.

“Welcome back Victor,” Hisashi said with a smile. “So how has life been since the world met you in Moscow?”

Victor smiled; below in the audience Yuri was certain he saw a bit of nervous energy in his expression. “A lot of the people I know in St. Petersburg weren't too surprised. They told me to get back to them when I win,” he laughed. He'd embellished it a bit; many of his musician friends had accused him of “selling out” by going on a talent show.

“Well then you've got a lot of work ahead of you,” Hisashi laughed as well. “What song have you chosen today?”

“I'm going to do something a bit different, one of my favorite songs. “Let Me Fall” by Josh Groban,” he replied. He'd expected the murmurs and surprised faces in the audience, and couldn't help but allow himself a satisfied smirk. As Hisashi left the stage and he took the mic he found himself glancing at Yuri Katsuki in the third row and found it interesting that Yuri was on the edge of his seat; Victor then saw him say to Leo, “He's done this before on YouTube.”

Victor nearly lost his focus. _Yuri's a fan?_

The band starting the song brought him back to the present and he closed his eyes, drawing in a deep breath and letting his years of voice training take over, the muscle and breath memory second nature to him now. Eyes in the audience and at the judges' table went wide as a lovely, clear tenor voice rang out over the room as Victor sang the lyrics to the lonely, wistful song, one he'd related to far more than he'd often cared to admit:

_Someone I am is waiting for courage_  
_The one I want, the one I will become will catch me_  
_So let me fall if I must fall_  
_I won't heed your warnings, I won't heed them_

As Victor continued to sing something about the emotion in his voice, in the delivery of the words, had wrapped around Yuri's heart. He wasn't sure if it was because he was exhausted or because he was also familiar with the song and the lyrics he'd also related to, but he felt nearly on the verge of tears. Victor sounded positively despondent, much more so than when he'd done the song a few years back on his channel. As he finished the room was completely silent for a few moments before erupting in wild applause and cheers; Phichit elbowed Yuri and motioned to the judges' table, where Minako was in tears as she and Celestino joined just about all of the room in a standing ovation.

As Victor came down from the stage Yuri stood up; this time Victor noticed him as the other man opened his arms for a hug. Yuri was completely certain the Russian needed it after the emotions in his stellar performance, but he was still a bit startled when Victor's embrace seemed almost too tight for a few moments.

“That was phenomenal,” Yuri said, his voice muffled in Victor's shoulder.

“Thank you, Yuri,” Victor replied. _It was for you,_ were the words Victor found himself nearly blurting out, surprising himself; instead he gently let go of Yuri and went back to his seat, sitting down with a heavy sigh. Mila had switched seats with Yura and was wiping at her own eyes before giving Victor a tight hug.

The break for the judges' deliberations was called and as they disappeared to do that Yuri rose from his seat and turned around, hoping to go back to talk to Victor but found him practically sprinting up the aisle. Chris tried to catch him as well but he almost seemed like he'd needed to get out of the room for a moment. Yuri felt his heart flip a bit with concern; why did Victor seem so upset?

Victor's performance had set the tone for the rest of the day as the contestants returned to hear the judges' verdicts, with everyone rather subdued. They began to call up groups of 25 people who everyone remembered as being more or less forgettable and not much more; the tension rose in as brutal cuts of 20 minimum came with the first two batches, with Yakov handling the bad news. After that the cuts slowed down a bit, with Christophe and Mickey making it through from their group, and then a few rounds later Mila, Yura and Otabek. Victor was in the last group and as soon as Yakov stood up, he knew it was going to be another brutal cut.

“Victor Nikiforov, step forward,” Yakov said, and he did as told.

“Victor, you are going through to the next round. All those behind him are going home.”

The gasp from those remaining in the audience was audible and Victor felt positively stunned to the point where he felt like he'd fall over. He didn't dare look behind him; the angry words and tears he heard were enough. Bowing his head he made his way off the stage; as he crossed in front of the judges, Yakov gave him a very decisive nod of approval; he replied with a soft “spasibo” before returning to his seat.

 

Once those who had been eliminated had left the hall – a few with security escorts as emotions ran high – the judges called the remaining contestants to assemble on stage. Yuri was about to attempt to get a bit closer to Victor to at least ask him if he was all right when Yura, Otabek and Mila came over to him. Yuri wasn't exactly sure if the quartet were bonded or just sticking together through the familiarity of their countries of origin; he was certain that Yura seemed consistently in a sour mood and snapped at Victor in Russian in response to something the older man said. Yuri felt a bit concerned to see Victor's expression seem a bit resigned, as if it was nothing new. Or maybe he was just tired, Yuri couldn't decide.

“Congratulations everyone, on making it this far,” Minako said into her microphone, quieting the already subdued chatter on the stage. “As you all know, the next phase is the Group Round. We want you to form groups of four members. There are 120 of you left, so that will give us 30 groups. Seung Gil is going around now with his assistants passing out the list of songs you have to choose from for your group to perform.”

Minako paused as she waited for the contestants to get their lists and take a bit of it in. She was really not in agreement with what she had to tell them next, but the judges hadn't been able to talk the producers – Hisashi included – out of the sequence of events. With a hard exhale, she lifted her microphone again.

“The good news is, you have a pretty decent amount of songs to choose from; we shouldn't hear a lot of repeats, we hope,” she began. “The bad news is... it is 6 pm right now. Performances begin at 9 am... tomorrow morning.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * re: "You will hear 'no' much more than 'yes': This is something American Idol Season 7 winner David Cook has said many times over the years about his post-Idol career. I've always liked it as a different way of saying not to give up.
> 
> I am thinking about making up a Spotify playlist for the songs I've been mentioning thus far and then adding to it as the story goes on. If I do I'll post the link in the notes to a future chapter.
> 
> As always, thank you for reading!


	4. Hurray for Hollywood Week - Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “We would not be doing this if the decision wasn't so difficult,” Yakov added. “We have a lot of talent here, and this may seem shocking but it is actually a complement to all of you who remain. We want to see what we know you are capable of, and to see you all shine, so we can know we've made the right choices."

**5:45 pm**

The entire stage fell silent at Minako's words for a few moments, and then began to react with variations of “oh my god” and profanity in several languages until she raised the mic to speak again.

“Form up your groups now while you're all together, and then head back to your hotel for the night. The list of songs was chosen for their familiarity so you should all find something you can work with. The more effort you put into presenting the song, the better your chances.” She hesitated a moment then, wanting to give them a wealth of advice for getting through the next fifteen or so hours they had left to throw their performances together, but didn't want to overstep the boundaries set by the producers. Instead, she opted to finish with a bit of sympathy in her tone: “We'll see you all in the morning. Good luck.” Seung Gil and his assistants then took over, milling about the stage along with the camera crew as the group formations began while the judges took their leave to the green room, where they all sat down for a few moments to regroup after the second very demanding day in a row.

“This is ridiculous. This kind of thing doesn't happen in real life. Even with dance auditions you're given at least a few days to prepare. There's a line between doing things to get a quality performance and doing things for the drama, and I feel like it's been crossed here,” Minako said. “A lot of these poor kids aren't going to get it. Katsuki and Phichit? They're theater students, they'll get things like this because last minute changes in theater are common. Sometimes the day of opening night shit gets added or changed. But it's really not fair and I don't get Hisashi not budging on this.”

“Yeah, even one day between would have been more fair than this. I think we're going to see a lot of these people who did very well falter,” Celestino said. “We have to take into account their prior performances when we decide the next round of cuts.”

“Working well with others you have just met is something that happens a lot in this industry though. You will meet co-writers, band members change at a moment's notice, dancers change or become injured and you have to work with different circumstances. People become ill and you have to rush in substitutes. This is something you have to be ready for and if you cannot cooperate with people, it reflects badly on you in the industry. So there is a purpose behind it,” Yakov explained.

Minako sighed. “I guess you're right but... I don't know, throwing some of these literal kids to the wolves just seems cruel.”

“It will definitely root out the kids who are pushed here by stage parents,” Celestino said. “Some of them, like Plisetsky, you can tell they have drive that comes from within and that it's their choice to do it. But there's a few kids we cut today and with good reason, their parents were monsters and you could tell they didn't want to be here once they realized what was involved. The ones that can't handle it are better off getting cut and going home to grow up some more or the industry will eat them alive.”

“Yeah... there were definitely a few that had their parents blowing smoke up their asses and pushing them to do well for their benefit and not their child's. I've seen that in my dance school's applicants too. I've always called those kind of rejections 'mercy cuts' myself,” Minako nodded.

“There are good and bad sides to how it is being done,” Yakov acknowledged. “But it is also television and they want to tell a story too. Maybe it wouldn't be done this way normally, but it is compelling to see how they handle it. I think we already know of some that will do just fine.”

  


Back out on the stage the contestants were already beginning to group together, with some already forming groups based on the friendships that had begun to take root. As such, Victor, Yura, Mila and Otabek had immediately decided to stick together, and were now perusing the list of songs to find something to work with. Mila was gravitating toward the many boy and girl group songs on the list and Otabek was agreeing, but Yura was having none of that “lame-ass music” and disputing the choices. Meanwhile, Victor was looking more closely at the list, the wheels turning in his head.

“Wait,” Victor said, bringing them all to attention. “I think we should take a song that _isn't_ a group song, that isn't already arranged for a group, and make it into one. Everyone is going to take the easy way out, that's why there's so many group songs on this list. We need to do something to stand out and taking a risk will do that. It will surprise them.”

Mila's head tipped a bit as she mulled it over. “You're right. It's not like all of us can't adapt something if we put our heads together.”

“I like that idea,” Otabek said. “I think we can do it.”

“You got a song in mind?” Yura asked. “Anything's gotta be better than Little Mix.”

“Little Mix are badass, shut your fool mouth,” Mila said. “If we did any girl group's songs I'd prefer it be them. But anyway, Victor, what were you thinking?”

Victor was skimming the list one more time, index finger to his lips. “What about 'So What' by Pink? We could have a lot of fun with that.”

Otabek grinned. “Oh yeah, that's a really fun song.”

“We could come up with harmonies for the chorus,” Mila ventured.

“The only thing about it is there's not too much of a challenge in the vocals,” Yura said.

“That's where you improvise. We can play with them and see what we can come up with to make it a bit different,” Victor said.

“I say we go for it. We all know the song and I think it could work,” Mila said.

“Seconded,” Otabek agreed.

“I'm just worried there won't be enough singing in it for them,” Yura said. “But okay, let's do it.”

“All right then. It says here we also have to come up with a name for the group, but we'll worry about that later. Let's go down into the seats and mess with this till they call for the buses,” Victor said.

As the quartet left the stage, Yuri, Phichit, Leo and Sara, who had been sitting together all day, had decided to form up as well but were facing some opposition from Sara's brother Mickey, who was insisting he needed to be in a group with his sister because they worked better together.

“Mickey. We don't need to be together 24/7 for this. It would be too obvious if we stuck together. If we both want to stand out we should be in different groups or they'll wonder if we can do things on our own. I think that's why we were in different solo groups too,” Sara said.

“But they keep separating us and we're better as a team! This is the one chance we can work together,” Mickey whined.

“No. I'm staying with these guys, they have some great ideas already. If we both want to stay in we have to stand on our own. I will see you later. I'm sure you can find someone else to work with.” She then turned back to the others, leaving Mickey standing in a huff behind her for a few moments before he wandered off to see who he could join up with.

“We need to go for a song we're all familiar with. If any of us has to learn a song from scratch that's going to take longer,” Phichit said. “Are you all seeing anything you like?”

“I kinda want to go for a song that wasn't as well known,” Yuri said. “People are more likely to grab the biggest hit by someone.”

“Good point,” Leo said.

“I really like the Backstreet Boys' stuff,” Sara said. “Even though I wasn't born till after they were big.”

“None of us were but their stuff is pretty timeless,” Leo said. “You still hear it on the radio in the States even now.”

“Yeah, that's kind of how I ended up liking them because they're always on the radio in Detroit. They have good harmonies to bounce off of. We can go with something from them maybe,” Yuri said.

“Same here,” Phichit nodded. “If anyone else grabs something by them it's going to be 'Backstreet's Back' or something just as popular. But my favorite has always been 'Larger than Life'.”

“Ooooohhhh that's a good one!” Leo said. “I actually did a performance of that for my senior high talent show with a few other guys. We even danced.”

“You dance?” Yuri said, raising eyebrows.

“Yeah! I took some hip hop classes and a bit of modern. I'm not _great_ but I can learn choreography,” Leo said.

“I did some figure skating, so I can do choreo too,” Sara said.

Phichit was getting more excited now. “Okay! This is good! I think we should go with 'Larger Than Life”. We all know the song so the vocals won't be too big a deal, and we can do some fun choreo to it. Nothing too fancy but something we can learn quickly. How does that sound?”

“I'm in!” Leo said.

“I think we can do it,” Yuri said.

Sara was grinning and bouncing in place. “Yes!! Let's do it!”

As more groups began to settle into the seating area of the theater to work on arranging their song choices, the stage had become more empty. Mickey watched as Sara left with her group, still rather annoyed that he'd been excluded from working with her. Not really sure who else to form up with since his roommate Otabek had gone with his Russian friends, he stood on the stage at a loss.

“Hey, you need a group?”

Mickey turned to see JJ standing next to him.

“I do actually. My sister got into another group and I haven't really gotten to know anyone else yet,” Mickey answered.

“Okay, you can be in mine!” JJ said. “We just need two more people.”

Mickey looked around the stage and noticed Kenjirou and Guang Hong chatting off to stage right; they didn't seem to be a part of a group yet.

“Let's see if they need anyone maybe?” Mickey offered, at which JJ looked over.

“Perfect! They're both really talented, they'll make our group pop!” he then started over to them with Mickey in tow.

“Hey guys!” JJ said with a grin; the two boys looked up from their song lists in response.

“You guys need a group?” Mickey asked.

“Yeah we do!” Kenjirou said. “I was gonna ask Yuri Katsuki and Phichit but they made their own group,” he replied, sounding a bit bummed about it.

“Yeah, I know,” Mickey deadpanned.

“Well I think we can work together just fine! You got a song idea yet?” JJ asked.

“We're not familiar with a lot of stuff on this list,” Guang Hong admitted. “Especially me. Because the producers are mostly American there's not a lot of stuff that isn't popular here. I listen to K-pop and game music soundtracks outside of what's on the radio.”

“I know more current stuff but I'm not super into boybands,” Kenjirou said. “The One Direction song I would have liked to use, “Perfect”, was Leo's audition song so people have already heard it done by someone, and it's not on this list anyway. There's a couple others on here I know by them though.”

“Which ones?” JJ asked.

“Hm... the one that me and Guang Hong both know is 'What Makes You Beautiful'.”

“I know that one too,” JJ said. “Let's do that!”

“One Direction? Really?” Mickey said. “There's other artists that aren't kids' music on here, let's do something else.”

“They're not kids music! We don't have a lot of time to have half the group learn something!” JJ snapped. “Majority rules, if you want to stay in the group you have to work with us. They're going to be looking for how well we all gel together too. That's how stuff like this works. It's about more than just the song.”

“He's right,” Kenjirou said. “This is a test to see how we do working with people. You gotta learn how or you don't get picked for stuff.”

Mickey sighed hard. “All right. Whatever. Let's just get through this.”

The stage was nearly empty now, with just a few people remaining. Christophe had found himself standing alone, looking over the choices that were left. As one of the older contestants just a couple years younger than the age limit of 28 he'd have loved to have grabbed Victor to work with, as they would have probably had a similar musical taste and he already knew they were both dancers and singers. But Victor had understandably stayed with the friends he'd made, and Christophe was running out of options. Over to stage left he saw a trio of younger girls who all seemed to be in their early 20s, who were also looking around as if they needed a fourth member. He walked over, putting on his best smile despite the reservations in his mind.

“Hello ladies,” Chris grinned. “Would you by chance be needing a fourth member?”

The girls all looked up at him simultaneously and grinned. “Oh thank god! Yes, we do,” one of them said.

“I'm your man then,” Chris replied, extending his hand to shake. “I'm Chris.”

“I'm Ketty, and this is Kanako and Min So,” Ketty replied as she shook his hand. “We already have a song in mind but we might have to change it now, I don't know if you'll be down with it,” she laughed.

“Oh? What is it?” he asked.

“We were thinking of 'Spice Up Your Life' by the Spice Girls. We can all sing it, but as far as dancing I don't even know where to start.”

“Darling, that song is _everything,_ ” Chris grinned. “I can help with the dancing. Let's see what we can do, shall we?”

  


**7:00 pm**

After giving the contestants an hour to form up groups at the theater (which also gave time to those who had been cut to leave the hotel) the call to board the buses went out and everyone still remaining went back to the hotel for the night.

The hotel had left open a vacant ballroom for the groups to head into at the request of the producers, so the contestants would have a place with ample space to work on their choreography and singing. A few groups had pizza delivered to munch on while they worked on their song arrangements; Yuri, Phichit, Leo and Sara took a cue from them and did the same, sitting on the floor in a corner they'd claimed as they mapped out the arrangement of the song.

“I can do the high harmony in the chorus since I have the highest range,” Sara said.

“Sounds good,” Phichit nodded. “Our ranges are similar so I can go the next triad over.”

“So technical,” Leo teased. “You guys know so much more than I do because I got into all this so late.”

“It's not about how long you've been doing it, it's how good you are at it,” Yuri said. “You're just as good as we are and you're catching on to everything well. We're all learning new things here so don't think you can't do stuff just because we have more experience.”

“Okay. There's a chance for all of us to have a little solo line or two, but the part that will impress the most is our harmony on the chorus,” Phichit said. “So I think we should smooth that out first, then work on our solos, then the choreography. How does that sound?”

“As long as I can finish eating first I'm good with that,” Leo grinned as he grabbed a breadstick.

“Same,” Yuri said. “I'm starving.”

“I'm not sure how this is pizza but whatever,” Sara teased. “But same.”

“Oh yeah, I bet the stuff they have in Italy is way better than this!” Phichit said.

“It's different, but this is still good. I heard about how other countries interpret Italian food so I'm kind of interested in trying it here,” she said. “So much is different here. Did you guys have a hard time when you moved to the US?”

“My English wasn't perfect so that was kind of nerve-wracking. And the way people are here is so different, it took me some time to get used to,” Yuri said. “I was in culture shock for a while.”

“Same,” Phichit said. “But I had been learning English since I was pretty young so mine was a bit more solid. When Yuri and I got paired up as roommates at Wayne, we kind of complemented each other.”

“I can't believe you were so young and a college freshman, that's crazy!” Leo said.

“I think it would have been tougher if I didn't have Yuri as a roomie,” Phichit said between bites on his own pizza. “We were going through similar things so it was nice to have someone that was just as confused about things as I was. I knew a little Japanese so we bonded over that, and the fact that we liked similar foods. And our majors were similar so we had some classes together too.”

“We helped each other, for sure. I was pretty inspired by his drive. If he could pull off moving halfway around the world at 16, I could deal with it at 19, you know?” Yuri added.

“It's kind of like this whole experience,” Sara pointed out. “Different cultures, different ages, all learning how to work together for a common goal. If more of the contestants could learn from each other I think it would be easier for everyone.”

“But then you have the competition aspect. I think the groups will be tough because there's a lot of people that will want to win for themselves and not help anyone else. So there will definitely be some drama here, I think,” Leo added.

Across the room, the drama that Leo had figured would be caused by the situation at hand was already beginning to rear its head with Mickey's group. By the time they'd gotten to the hotel Mickey, Ken and Guang Hong were all starving and suggested ordering pizza or some other food as many of the other groups did, but JJ wouldn't hear of it. He wanted to get to work on everything right away because of having so little time, and was miffed when the other three members insisted on hunting down a vending machine to at least get something to calm their growling stomachs. Once they'd eaten their candy bars and chips JJ had them at attention as he sorted out the vocal of the song, writing down each person's part in the lyrics and handing them paper to read from.

“I think we should work on the chorus first,” Mickey offered. “We have to make up our own harmonies because there aren't any in the song itself. That's why this song was a bad idea, it's not really that great. The verses are kind of mumbled and don't show off any range. We still have time to pick something better.”

“No, we don't! We have to stick with something most of us know. Well, all of us because you obviously know the song enough to tell us why it's not good,” JJ snapped. “That's a big chunk of time we don't have to waste. Let's just get this figured out and the rest will be easy.”

Mickey looked over to the two other members of their group; Kenjirou was giving JJ his undivided attention while Guang Hong looked over at Mickey with a resigned expression. As JJ and Kenjirou conversed Mickey came over to Guang Hong.

“Just let him lead. It's easier that way I think,” Guang Hong said. “It will be less for us to worry about. If he wants to take over then whatever, he's the one that's going to be the most exhausted in the morning.”

Mickey sighed at that. “That's not very fair, but I don't think he's going to give us a choice.”

“He's obsessing over every little thing. I don't think he likes having to depend on anyone else to make this happen. I don't know how much reasoning with him we'll be able to do so let's just make it easy on ourselves.”

In another far corner of the room, Victor's group had also taken the opportunity to order food, discussing the song arrangement during their impromptu dinner. Mila, Otabek and Yura had gravitated to letting Victor arrange the chorus harmonies, and they had already run through it several times until it sounded cohesive. As various contestants passed by they tried not to make a show of pausing and listening, with many becoming aware of the formidable quartet from just the bit of practice they'd done. As they paused to switch over to working out the solo parts of the verse, Yura's mind wandered a bit.

“What are we gonna do for a name?” he asked. “Anyone thought of anything yet?”

“I overheard a few silly ones when I was coming back from the ladies room,” Mila said. “People are just coming up with anything.”

“I don't think it matters too much,” Otabek said.

“I had the dumbest idea but we can use it unless we come up with something else maybe,” Victor said. “Considering how anyone can go at any time, even any one of us, 'Russian Roulette' came to mind.”

“Mm, that's kind of appropriate really,” Mila said. “This whole thing is really like that. But Otabek isn't Russian.”

Otabek shrugged. “Most of us are, it's fine.”

“He can be an honorary Russian,” Yura said.

Victor reached over with a breadstick and “knighted” Otabek by pretending to tap each of the Kazakh's shoulders with it. “I now pronounce thee an Honorary Russian in the name of Freddie Mercury, Robert Plant and Steven Tyler, Amen.” His three friends all broke into laughter at that, as well as a couple of other groups that were within earshot of the quartet; Otabek noticed that a member of the roving camera crew had been filming the moment and was certain it would make the broadcast.

“Oh dear god where did that come from, I think I'm already slap happy,” Victor said, facepalming and laughing at himself.

“You know what, if we don't find something to laugh about we're all going to lose our minds,” Mila said.

“Very true. If you're too serious you'll just get pissed off at everyone. We have to have fun with this,” Otabek said.

“Well, let's have fun with solo lines now,” Victor said. “It's already 9 pm. I'd like to maybe get to bed by 2 or 3 for at least a few hours of sleep.”

Across the room, Christophe was already certain that he'd end up having an early night, whether or not he wanted it. Two of his three companions were having a rather difficult time staying focused, spending more time giggling and gossiping about the other groups, some of which already seemed to be having arguments and disagreements. Granted, they were already pretty good at singing the song, but if they wanted to nail the choreography they definitely needed more work.

“Ladies, ladies, I'm sure we'll get to see allllll the drama on TV so you won't miss much. We really need to work on this now,” Chris said, trying to remain patient with them.

“Okay okay,” Min So said. “Do you want to work on the singing more?”

“We can leave that for the moment. We have choreography to do.”

Kanako shook her hips a bit and did some vaguely bellydance-like move. “I can dance just fine!”

“Yes, that's lovely but we have to do it _together,”_ Chris said. “Come on now, let's do this.”

The three women got into a line with Christophe at the lead, facing sideways after he designated the windows as stage front. Behind him, Min So leaned in to whisper in Kanako's ear.

“He's got a nice ass,” Min So said.

“Yeah, if nothing else he's pretty to look at, but he's all ego. He just kinda took over,” Kanako griped.

Ketty heard the murmuring behind her and looked over her shoulder. “Guys, come on. Pay attention!”

Christophe didn't bother to turn around; instead as he waited for his group to get themselves together he cast a look around at the other contestants. About halfway down his side of the room he could see Victor's group already on their way to having some simple but interesting choreography in progress, the four of them laughing and getting along well. There seemed to be some dispute going on with JJ's group, the four standing in a circle and seeming standoffish. And across the way Yuri and Phichit's group were cracking up over Leo just having stepped in the wrong direction and nearly knocking Sara off balance; she was hugging Leo and giggling as he apologized profusely. A camera-person was near each of them, capturing the interactions.

“Okay, I have the Ditz Twins under control,” Ketty said with a bit of sarcasm directed over her shoulder. “Ready when you are.”

Christophe nodded over his shoulder and counted off for the fourth time in fifteen minutes. It was going to be a very long night.

  


**12:00 am**

Christophe stared into the men's room mirror, exhausted and more overwrought than he really should be. Ketty was at least taking things more seriously and had done her best to work with him on her weak points, but Min So and Kanako had been nearly impossible. Their choreography was messy, his attempts to create harmonies in the song where there were none had been met with the duo's 5-second attention spans, and they also kept forgetting the words to a song they claimed to know very well. After a few more moments to splash some icy water on his face – his jetlag was still pretty intense at this point and he was beyond exhausted – he blotted it dry with a paper towel, took a deep breath, and made his way back out to his group...

...to find only Ketty sitting on the floor, face in hands, quite obviously sobbing.

“Ketty, darling, what is it?” he asked, genuinely concerned as he dropped down to the floor next to her, putting an arm around her shoulders.

“Those two dimwits _went to bed!”_ she cried. “Do you fucking believe this?? They barely paid attention at all, hardly know any of what we worked on and they were both _so exhausted_ they just _had_ to head to bed. Conveniently, they're roommates. All they talked about for the first five minutes you were gone was Kanako missing her boyfriend back home in New York and how she was going to drop out of school when she wins. Right,” Ketty snapped, angry wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand.

Chris was torn at that moment. Ketty _had_ been working hard, or trying to with all the distractions. He wanted to comfort her, but at the same time, he was _livid._ Half of their group had ditched them when they had at least a solid two or three more hours they could have rehearsed.

“You've done so much to try to get us through this and I can't believe they're so disrespectful,” Ketty said. “I'm so sorry Christophe. I tried to get them to stay but they wouldn't listen to me.”

Chris pulled her into a hug then. There was no use taking out his aggravation with the pair on the only other member of the group who had been trying her best. “I know darling. You and I will keep working for a while longer. We'll have our stuff down at least.”

“Hey guys, what's going on?”

Chris and Ketty looked up to see Seung Gil with a cameraman, holding a microphone, doing spot interviews on the groups' progress.

“Well, half of our group has ditched us,” Ketty said. “So Chris and I are going to do what we can for a bit longer.”

Chris squeezed her shoulders with the arm he had around them. “Yes. And hopefully we will both stay around a bit longer in the competition as well.”

  


**1:00 am**

On the other end of that side of the room, Russian Roulette was putting the finishing touches on their vocals before combining the choreography and running through their full routine. From what Victor could see, they were one of the few groups that had gotten that far, with Yuri and Phichit across the room also progressing at a steady pace. The four of them were stunned at how many contestants had already called it a night when it had been obvious they needed a lot more work, but at the same time the room had become calmer which was a plus.

One of Seung Gil's assistants and his companion cameraman made their way over as the four members of Russian Roulette began their first full runthrough of their program, singing along with the tinny song emanating from Mila's iPhone. The room was just quiet enough that their performance, already very cohesive save for a few missteps in the choreography to start, drew the attention of most of the other contestants.

JJ's group, which JJ had named The King's Court and continued to use despite the others not being very thrilled, all paused as they watched Russian Roulette pretty much kill their performance from the opposite corner of where they had set up shop.

“They look great already,” Kenjirou said.

“They picked a much better song,” Mickey growled.

“Well look at their group though, everyone is so good,” Guang Hong said.

JJ watched intently until their performance ended, then spun around to face his own group; Mickey was certain he saw a momentary flash of panic on JJ's face before he fixed his ever-present, seemingly smug grin back in place. “Their weak link is Otabek. He's just... there. We have no weak links! We can easily beat them. Come on, let's run through again!” he said in an overly perky voice, clapping his hands.

  


**2:00 am**

Phichit and Yuri's group had taken a break from their sixth full runthrough to nibble on some cold pizza and debate their name.

“I would say a play on Backstreet Boys but we have a girl member, so that's not going to work,” Leo said.

“I keep thinking something like 'Three Men and...' something, kind of like that one old movie title,” Yuri mused.

Phichit broke into a grin then. “How about Three Men and a Goddess? I mean...” He extended both hands, palms up as he indicated Sara. “It fits!”

“Will you _stop?”_ Sara giggled. “You're such a dork!”

“I like it, we should go with that,” Leo said.

“At this point I think it's the best we'll come up with,” Yuri said. “And well... it does fit.” Sara gave Yuri's shoulder a playful shove as she giggled again.

“I'm in. Sara?” Phichit grinned with a puppy-dog-eyed smile.

“Ohhh okay, you guys are a trip though!” she giggled. “I'll have to find something Goddess-worthy to wear then. Now let's run through a few more times before we get some sleep.”

  


**3:00 am**

Chris collapsed into bed, somewhat relieved that he'd lost his roommate to the cuts after Group B's solo performances; at least he wouldn't be disturbed for the few hours of sleep he'd manage before the 7:30 am lobby call. He and Ketty had basically worked as if they were a duo, mastering his choreography and working out the song as best they could while allowing for the other two MIA members to contribute if they saw fit. He tried to push the vision of his entire group being cut out of his mind as he attempted to get some sleep while still wired from the coffee he'd drank at 11 pm, when he'd thought he'd still have a group to continue to work with.

  


**3:30 am**

Yuri and Phichit saw Sara and Leo off to their rooms, which they both now had to themselves due to their roommates being cut, then both fell into their beds, exhausted.

“I hope I can sleep,” Yuri said. “I really hope we can pull this off.”

“We'll be fine. We're doing a lot better than quite a few of the groups I saw,” Phichit said. “I mean, look what happened to poor Chris!”

“Oh god that was so horrible. Do those two girls think being cute are going to get them through? What are they even thinking? If you're not going to do what you need to then you should have let someone else who deserved it be here,” Yuri said.

“Seriously. I feel so bad for him,” Phichit said, his voice trailing off as he began to doze. “I hope he does well enough on his own to stay in the competition.”

  


**4:00 am**

“I'm so fucking done with you. We're all going to get cut because of this, it's crap!”

Mickey had been resistant to the boy band-ish choreography and song for most of the night, but JJ's nervousness causing him to basically take control of the group and continually tweak every little thing they'd done “just one more time” had frayed Mickey's last nerves. He'd been looking over all night at Sara's group, who were looking fantastic and cohesive and like an actual team rather than well... a king and his minions. His outburst had caught the attention of a cameraman, who followed him as he stormed off to his room, having had enough for the night. A second cameraman and assistant swooped in to get reaction footage from JJ, Kenjirou and Guang Hong, the latter pair letting JJ do the talking and then deciding to call it a night as well, too exhausted to continue and facing probably less than two hours of sleep.

  


**4:15 am**

Victor envied Yura's ability to sleep wherever, whenever; the teen had even managed naps during their short breaks as they worked during the night and had pretty much faceplanted into his bed and fell into a dead sleep a bit more than half an hour prior. Victor himself had made the mistake of drinking far too much coffee – the free stuff set up in the ballroom had been much too tempting to pass up when he'd crashed hard around 2 am – and he now stared at the ceiling, his mind refusing to shut off as he kept hearing his parts of the song and seeing his parts of the choreo in his head. He was most concerned about Otabek, who wasn't quite as outgoing as the rest of them. The Kazakh was talented and wouldn't drag the group down, but compared to the other members of Russian Roulette, he lacked a lot of stage presence. Victor was determined that his entire group was going to make it to the next round, so he went over ideas in his head to help out Otabek until he managed to fall asleep around 5 am, with a fitful 90 minutes of caffeine-disturbed half-sleep to follow.

  


**9:00 am, Pasadena Civic Center**

The 120 remaining contestants had wandered into the theater and had been told to sit together with their groups so that they would proceed to the stage quickly. Everyone looked completely exhausted, and a few groups appeared to have been awake pretty much all night. One group was panicking because a member had gone down with dehydration after working so hard, her inability to participate causing her to be disqualified as she was taken to the hospital. Several more contestants had come down with colds, which had Yuri wishing he had one of his face masks he'd often worn while back in Detroit to stave off a cold as he got settled in with the rest of Three Men and a Goddess to hurry up and wait.

Chris was sitting with Ketty and the two other members of their group, who from what they could tell had stayed up most of the night gossiping, with Kanako having a nice long FaceTime call with her boyfriend back in New York City, which had apparently resulted in a breakup. As a result she was a mess, and Min So had stayed up to console her. Soon, Ketty had had enough of their overly-dramatic chatter and interrupted with a curt tone.

“So we still need a name. Do you two busybodies have any ideas to offer, or did you even remember why you were here?” she snapped; the two girls returned her question with silence and mortified faces.

“That's what I thought,” Ketty said. “You two are ridiculous. Did you both _want_ to get cut today?”

“I... I just couldn't concentrate, my boyfriend was being a pain in the ass,” Kanako said, her lower lip quivering.

“Please, spare me the dramatics,” Chris said, “which is ironic because I really thought I'd be the most dramatic of the four of us. Honestly, I don't know what you expect to happen today but it's probably not going to go how you thought it would. We're not here to babysit you.”

“But this was _important!”_ Min So snapped. “She was worried, it had to be taken care of.”

“Well I'm sure things will be taken care of today,” Ketty said with an eyeroll. “I'm ready to call us the Spice Gang and get it over with.”

Kanako grinned through her crocodile-tearstained face. “Oooooh I love that can we use it?”

Chris shook his head, then gave in and facepalmed. “Anything. It's not like we'll look like a group anyway. I hope we get called early so we can get this over with.”

From a few rows farther up and across the aisle, Victor was watching the scene. Poor Chris appeared to be frayed to the quick, and it was obvious his group was a shitshow. It was too bad; he really hoped it wouldn't reflect upon Chris and cause him to be cut.

Everyone's attention was drawn to the stage as Minako, Celestino and Yakov were introduced by Morooka, who then took center stage with Celestino, whom he gave the mic.

“All right. Today is going to go pretty quickly,” Celestino said. “The groups will be called in batches of three to prepare backstage. After your performance you will be critiqued, then return to the audience. The cuts will be announced later once everyone has performed. Seung Gil will be here momentarily to call the first batch of groups. No instruments will be allowed in this round, the band will accompany you. Good luck everyone.” He then took his leave of the stage.

Soon after the first trio of groups were called, and the performances began. As Victor had predicted, most had leaned toward songs already arranged for groups, and it was very apparent when the members hadn't worked with anyone else before. The cohesiveness wasn't there, the choreography was a mess, the harmonies were terrible. Processing all of this on very little sleep was practically like sandpaper scraping away at his brain. Meanwhile, in the seat next to him Yura continued to nap, oblivious to the proceedings. With critiques, it appeared they were working on a pace of six groups an hour.

In the third hour, the Spice Gang was finally called back along with The King's Court. Chris and Ketty were hoping to avoid the pre-performance interviews, but as the first group performed Morooka came over to them, microphone in hand and cameraman in tow.

“We have here the Spice Gang,” he began. “How are you guys feeling about your performance?”

There was an awkward silence as Chris bit back what he really wanted to say, and he was grateful for Ketty taking over.

“We had some... differences of opinion with regard to priorities,” she said, casting an angry glare toward the two other flaky NYU students in the group. “So we'll see how it goes. Chris and I worked very hard however.”

Seung Gil signaled that it was 10 seconds to stage for the group. “All right then, good luck,” Morooka said, sensing the tension as the group went up the stairs. He then flipped a switch on his earpiece, stepping over to the side to speak into his microphone.

Victor was getting the impression that someone was giving the judges information on each group, as they seemed to know a bit about the interaction between the members. It was more than likely the camera crew and stagehands that had been going around filming everyone the night before. He was beginning to understand more and more how much the producers were tailoring the show for maximum drama, and cringed inwardly at the thought as Chris' group took the stage. He hated seeing Chris look so defeated, and really hoped he could pull it together.

“So, the Spice Gang,” Celestino said. “I hear things have been a bit rocky with your interactions.”

“Yes... one of our members had a... personal crisis last night that needed attending to,” Chris said, trying to keep the sarcasm in his voice to a minimum in an attempt to be the bigger person.

“Oh? What happened?” Celestino asked.

There was an awkward silence until Kanako lifted her mic to her mouth and murmured “family problems”. Celestino immediately knew there was far more to it. Next to him, he heard Yakov snort.

“All right then. Let's see what you've got,” Celestino said.

The band started into the song, and it immediately became painfully apparent who had done their homework. Ketty and Chris pulled off the very simple choreography without a problem, singing in harmony with each other and trading off lines in the first half of the song while Kanako and Min So watched what they did and replicated it badly a few steps behind. When the second verse they were responsible for came up, neither knew all the words despite claiming to the day before; they couldn't even get the “la-la-la” part of the song correct.

Yuri was dying of secondhand embarrassment in his seat and feeling terrible for Chris. “Oh my god, these girls are awful,” he said. “Poor Chris and Ketty.”

“Seriously. What idiots,” Sara said, shaking her head. “They better get cut.”

The performance ended after what felt like an eternity to Chris. He'd done his best, singing the very simple song that was far below his vocal capabilities but made the best of it with Ketty, having a little fun with her as they had done their part of the song.

“What _was_ that even?” Celestino said. “Chris, Ketty, you guys looked good. But who picked this song?”

“Well, I did with Kanako and Min So. They said they knew it,” Ketty said. “Chris joined us very late, we were the last group that needed a member and he was the last one without a group. He didn't have anything to do with the song.” Chris swallowed hard; he wanted to hug Ketty for sticking her neck out for him.

“It's pretty obvious there wasn't enough work put in by some of you,” Celestino said. “Kanako, Min So, both of you were put through yesterday by the skin of your teeth. We're going to have to think very long and hard about this performance now. Personal issues shouldn't cause you to disrespect your bandmates unless it's a totally dire situation. You weren't flown all the way here to bail out now.” Minako patted Celestino's arm under the table; she could tell he was livid and took over, leaning into the mic mounted on the table before her.

“Spice Gang, please leave the stage, thank you,” she said; in response Kanako and Min So ran off nearly in tears as Chris offered a bent arm to escort Ketty offstage; she looked up at him with an apologetic expression and he gave her a wink in response; Victor could see him saying “you and I will be okay” to her as they exited.

The King's Court was then called to the stage. Yuri and Phichit made note immediately of how mismatched the group seemed even as they all applauded heartily for them, with Sara standing up and cheering for her brother. The judges had dispensed with any pre-discussion this time as things seemed to be running a bit behind so the group started into their rendition of “What Makes You Beautiful” without very much time between taking their marks and the song beginning. JJ sang first, performing his part enthusiastically but stumbling on the low notes of the melody line; Mickey's face was stone-like as he fought to concentrate when he saw some in the audience laughing at their attempts at choreography. Kenjirou and Guang Hong were their usual happy, bouncy selves, portraying the fun song with the right amount of animated singing; however, this prompted JJ to suddenly turn on the extra that much more and overpower his group mates. The song ended with all four doing a slight variation on the ending pose, as JJ had changed it so many times the previous night that between that and exhaustion, no one was really sure except JJ what it was supposed to be.

There was another pause as the group lined up at the stage front; Minako finally looked up at them with a sigh.

“Guys, that... wasn't great,” she said. “The song really wasn't a good choice, there was no challenge in the vocals at all. And I feel like those attempts at harmony fell flat in more ways than one. And there was a lot of confusion up there, none of you seemed to know where you needed to be. Who came up with this choreography?

“JJ basically did everything,” Mickey snapped; he immediately regretted it when he got an angry glare from Celestino in response.

“JJ kinda took everything over,” Kenjirou agreed. “He had the most performing experience. But... we kinda couldn't keep to one idea.”

“JJ. If you're going to be the captain of the team, you have to come up with a plan and stick to it. You can't confuse your group mates to the point that they don't know what they're doing,” Minako said. “You have to go into this thing with confidence, or it will reflect not only on you but everyone else too.” Mickey breathed a sigh of relief then; it was more apparent to the seasoned professionals what had gone wrong than anyone would realize, and he was placated by that... for a moment anyway.

“And you Mickey, it's pretty obvious you weren't happy with the situation,” Minako said. “But there are going to be times in this business where you're going to have to do things you might not want to. I've done it, Celestino's done it, it happens to everyone. You put on your best face and you still give your all, especially when there are others depending on you. Keep that in mind, if you make it through to the next round.” Mickey was mortified, swallowing hard and nodding; in her seat with the rest of her group Sara buried her face in her hands, at which Yuri wrapped an arm around her shoulders and gave her a comforting squeeze.

“Thank you King's Court, please leave the stage,” Celestino said, his tone slightly irritated as a break was called, during which the next batch was called up.

A hour and a half passed as nine more groups performed, and then the final three groups were called, which included Three Men and a Goddess and Russian Roulette. As they were given their running order Phichit and Yuri were surprised to find they were ending the day as the last performance, effectively being opened for by Russian Roulette. As the first group went up, Three Men moved over to the side to run through their routine quietly one more time; Yura watched for a few moments and suggested Russian Roulette do the same.

Finally, Russian Roulette were called to the stage to a rollicking round of applause. Yuri marveled at how polished they all looked despite probably getting just about as little sleep as everyone else. Victor's presence filled the stage on its own, but Mila standing next to him made them look like a musical power couple. Yuri, Phichit, Leo and Sara climbed the stairs to watch them perform from the side of the stage as the first notes of “So What?” were played by the band.

The swagger, the attitude, the harmonies, the fun choreography that saw the four of them entwining around each other as they switched lead vocals, then stomping authoritatively across the stage for the chorus with pumping fists; it was all there. Each member improvised vocal lines as the final chorus hit full throttle with Victor in particular hitting a ridiculously high glory note that had the contestants in the audience cheering and screaming. The song ended with Mila's bratty “ba-da-ba-da-da-da” and Yura blowing a raspberry into the mic as on the original recording.

Phichit and Yuri looked at each other with wide eyes on the side of the stage. They weren't really sure why Russian Roulette wasn't allowed to close the day; no one could top that.

“Russian Roulette, very nice job,” Yakov began as the extended round of applause for the group died down. “It looks like you all got along very well and everything was very rehearsed. I like that you took a song by a solo artist and made it a group song. We did not see too much of that today.” Victor couldn't help but smirk at that, and Mila broke into a grin as she raised her microphone to add that the song choice and the idea for it had been Victor's.

“The only person I see that needs to work a bit more is Otabek,” Yakov continued. “You were professional and you did everything well, but you need to show more emotion still. We have mentioned this before and it is something you still need to get better at. Learn to smile, even if you don't feel like it. In this business, that will happen a lot. You will do music sometimes that you might not usually do, but you still have to draw in your viewers by appearing to enjoy what you are doing. We have told others this today, so it is not just you. Some need more work when they are new, and I believe you can do this. You have the talent, it is just your presentation of it that needs more attention.”

Otabek shifted his weight from one foot to the other as he listened; when Yakov was finished, he replied with a respectful “Yes, sir, thank you, I will remember.”

“Thank you Russian Roulette, please leave the stage,” Yakov said, and the group left to another enthusiastic ovation.

As they came down Three Men and a Goddess had stepped back to let them through, but were all applauding the quartet as they disembarked from the stage. As Victor came down last he met eyes with Yuri, who couldn't help but smile and raised his hand to give Victor a high five. Victor then took hold of Yuri's hand to shake it firmly.

“Good luck Yuri,” he smiled. “And then get some sleep.”

“You too,” Yuri said, feeling the blush already crossing his face as his group was called to the stage. Mila called to the rest of her group to get back out into the audience to see the final group's performance and they did so, hurrying back out to their seats as Three Men and a Goddess took their marks. Yuri was now feeling a bit nervous about their song choice after Victor's group had been praised for theirs, but it was far too late to do anything about it now.

As the band began into the driving intro to “Larger Than Life”, Phichit opened with the maniacal laugh present in the original song and the quartet launched into perfect choreography. Phichit took the first line of the song, then handed the second off to Yuri; they then harmonized on the change that led into the first chorus. The choreography wasn't difficult, but the step sequence Yuri and Phichit had come up with was interesting enough that it seemed harder than it really was. Leo and Sara nailed their second verse and change, and the four of them powered into the second chorus. During the breakdown there was a quiet moment where the four vocalized in harmony that sounded almost ethereal, then powered into the final driving chorus, peppering it with bits of solo improvised words from each member on top of the backing vocals before striking final poses in perfect sync. The audience gave them just about the same level of ovation as Russian Roulette, with that group probably cheering the loudest.

“Three Men and a Goddess, very nice and polished!” Celestino said with a grin. “Really great way to end the performances today, I can tell you worked really hard on this. Really fun to watch and the vocals all sounded great. I gotta ask though, who came up with the name?”

“That was Phichit,” Sara said as a blush colored her cheeks, “because he's a dork.” The audience broke into laughter at that.

“Hey, get you three men who call you a goddess and you're doing all right with your life!” Minako grinned.

“I don't think I have anything to add to this performance to be honest,” Celestino said. “Except maybe that even though you guys did a song arranged for a group you still made it your own with some different harmonies. You took advantage of Sara's really big range and utilized her really perfect high notes for the harmonies, which was very smart. She may be little but she be fierce and you were wise to highlight that. Three Men and a Goddess, please leave the stage, thank you!”

The judges then left the table to go and do their deliberations, which didn't take all that long as they were taking notes as they went. They soon returned and the groups were called back in the order of their performance, three at a time. Christophe's group Spice Gang was called up and to the surprise of no one, Chris and Ketty were put through to the next round and Min So and Kanako were sent home. Of the next six groups, three full groups were sent home as a unit, which brought a hush over the room.

The batch with The King's Court was next and after the previous group's eliminations were made the four members of JJ's group were called forward. Yuri could see the nervous expressions on Kenjirou and Guang Hong's faces and didn't envy them their position. To everyone's surprise however, all four members were put through but with one more reminder that cooperating with others who would help their career was something important to learn. As they left the stage JJ seemed exceptionally relieved; Mickey was still sulking even though he'd gotten a reprieve.

The eliminations continued until the final trio, which included Russian Roulette and Three Men and a Goddess, were the only ones left. The first group escaped without any eliminations, then Russian Roulette was called forward; Yakov spared no time in putting them all through. Celestino then called Three Men forward, and for a few moments there was some tension as he momentarily told Leo to step back away from the others. Russian Roulette had decided to stay on the stage to watch and Victor's expression darkened considerably; there was no reason any member of Yuri's group should be going home. Finally, after a very long and nerve-wracking pause Celestino called Leo forward again and pronounced them all safe; they all started jumping up and down and hugging in unison, and were soon joined by Russian Roulette. Mila and Sara hugged; the pair had been getting closer after conversing in the lobby of the theater during breaks; and to his surprise Yuri found himself in another hug from Victor amidst the confusion of the other remaining contestants coming back onto the stage for the next round instructions.

“Congratulations Yuri, you all were so great,” Victor grinned.

“You guys were amazing, I didn't think we stood a chance,” Yuri smiled.

“You definitely had us a little worried,” Victor said as he gently released Yuri. “It was close, I think. I was about to kick some ass if they cut Leo though.”

“Right??” Yuri said. “I don't know what was up with that, he's learning so fast and doing so well.” Victor couldn't help but smile again at Yuri's protectiveness over his new friend. He was going to say something more when Minako called for everyone's attention then and the remaining contestants all quieted and turned to face the judges.

“All right everyone. We are down to the wire. Tomorrow is the most brutal day of all: Sudden Death. You will all perform one three-minute rendition of your songs. There are 48 of you remaining. After your performances you will be critiqued, and will find out immediately if you stay or go. Don't think you know what will happen. Be prepared to do your best, no matter what.” She paused to let it all sink in, looking around at the faces that were left; some were ones she had expected, some were not, and a few she'd fought to put through.

“You have a chance to rehearse and get some extra rest tonight,” she said. “You've all earned it. See you in the morning.”

  


**Hollywood Week, Day 4 – Sudden Death Round**

The remaining 48 contestants had spent the previous night having their first decent meal in more than 24 hours and practicing their songs after the hotel's staff helped them to all combine rooms, as so many had left in the last three days. Despite the gravity of the day to come, however, both floors were quiet before midnight as lack of sleep ultimately won over continuing to work on their performances.

Victor was feeling considerably better this morning after crashing into bed by 10 pm, but despite this he was boarding his bus with a feeling of apprehension. Today was the biggest day yet, literal do or die, and he hoped inwardly he had chosen the best song for the occasion. As he sat down a few seats back from the front of the bus, he looked up to see Phichit and Leo climbing on board with Yuri in tow. Victor didn't try to stop the grin that crossed his face and it caught Phichit's attention; he was certain he saw the Thai boy grab Leo's wrist and pull him into the seat across from Victor's.

“There's an empty spot there,” Phichit said to Yuri, who was looking down at his phone; he continued to do so as he sat down, assuming the other seat was empty until he saw a leg wrapped in jeans and ending with black boots out of the corner of his eye on his left. He lifted his head to say hello to whoever it was, and Victor couldn't help but burst into laughter as Yuri nearly jumped out of his skin.

“Am I that scary?” Victor teased him as Yuri looked over at Phichit and Leo, who were also laughing their asses off even though Yuri was giving them both a death glare. He turned back to Victor, feeling his face burning and certain he was bright red.

“N..no, I didn't... I wasn't... I wasn't expecting... nevermind,” Yuri said, looking back down at his phone; Victor then got the impression that Phichit and Leo had played some kind of prank and Yuri was now rather uncomfortable.

“I can sit somewhere else,” Victor said gently, “It's not a problem.”

“No... that's not what I meant, I... I'm just really anxious about today is all.”

Victor was pretty sure that really wasn't the the only problem, but rolled with it anyway. “Aww, you have nothing to worry about Yuri. You'll be fine. Everything you've done so far has been amazing and I don't see that changing now.”

Yuri swallowed hard; something about Victor's tone as he spoke was just so... genuine, sweet, that he suddenly felt just as worried that he'd hurt the Russian man's feelings somehow with his initial reaction. “Thanks... I hope so.” Yuri kept his head down, scrolling absently through Twitter while really not reading anything in an attempt to look distracted... and felt his whole body flush as Victor's arm slipped around his shoulders. He swallowed again and lifted his head, not wanting to give Victor another wrong impression as he forced himself to look into those incredibly blue eyes.

“Really, Yuri, you're going to be fine. You have the skills to win. Why do you think it won't happen?” Victor asked, genuine concern in his tone.

“It's not that I don't think it will I... I guess I just overthink things a lot. A lot of the stuff that people have said to me over the years when I decided to be a musician instead of a doctor or a lawyer or something like that come back to me and I guess I just... lack confidence at times.”

Victor paused at that, and Yuri saw his expression become momentarily unreadable as he seemed to be processing his own thoughts before he refocused his attention to the conversation.

“I've probably heard a lot of the same things, to be honest,” Victor said. “Sometimes people say those things because they want to have what you do, because you can do something they're not capable of. Sometimes they think they're showing their concern but it's got an ulterior motive; they want to tell you you should have made a better choice. No matter what it is though, you turn it around and you let it drive you. Go out there to surprise them and prove them wrong. And if it doesn't work out this time, you get back up and try again.”

“Like you did, when you kept trying out for different shows like this?” Yuri said... and suddenly realized he'd accidentally revealed himself; he was about to turn away again when Victor broke into a smile.

“Yes, just like that. Don't worry... after I found your YouTube channel I was looking at my subscriber list and noticed your name was there.” It was a white lie; while Victor had looked for Yuri's videos, it was seeing Yuri mention knowing he'd done “Let Me Fall” on his channel on the second day of Hollywood Week that made him check. “How long ago did you subscribe?”

Yuri felt himself relaxing; there was no point in trying to hide anything now. “Uh... since 2011,” he finally replied. “Your cover of 'Edge of Glory' came up in my recommendations and I really liked it so I subscribed.”

“Yuuuuuriiiiii, why didn't you tell me?” Victor teased with a glint in his blue eyes; Yuri thought he was going to faint at the singsongy way Victor said his name. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Phichit hunching down in the seat trying not to lose his shit at what was happening across from him while Leo was trying to act nonchalant.

“There... there hasn't been time! We really haven't had a chance to talk,” Yuri said; it wasn't a lie either.

“Hm... all right I'll give you that. But now I'm intrigued to see what other secrets you're keeping from me.” And with that Victor winked again behind that swoop of silvery hair and leaned in, his nose nearly brushing Yuri's; Yuri was certain he was going to turn into a puddle if this kept up. “I want to know everything about you.”

“I.... I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours,” Yuri blurted out, and immediately regretted it. _What the hell did I just say? Oh my god..._

The bus slowed to a stop in front of the Civic Center then and Victor drew back, his arm slipping off of Yuri's shoulders, a wicked smirk across his lips.

“Oh I think there's a whole other side to you that no one else in the whole wide world knows,” Victor grinned as everyone rose to disembark. “I hope you'll show me someday.”

Yuri had never been more grateful for the barking of the bus chaperon telling everyone to hurry as traffic had caused them to be 15 minutes late for call time. He stood up, hearing Victor's amused chuckle behind him as Yuri pushed past Leo to get off the bus, with Leo and Phichit following behind; he was equally relieved when as soon as Victor stepped off onto the sidewalk Chris came over from his bus and started chatting with the Russian, both men veering off to go into one of the doors with less of a crowd heading through it.

“Yuuurriii!” Phichit squealed. “He's got it _baaaaad_ for you oh my god!”

“Shut _up!”_ Yuri snapped. “I can't believe you guys did that to me!!”

“Aw come on, you gotta admit it was productive!!” Leo laughed. “But he did say some things that are worth thinking about too, you know.”

Yuri remembered Victor's encouraging words then, and even the ones about the person Yuri knew he was, deep within. He did have a point...

“Yeah, he did,” Yuri agreed. “I guess I have some things to think about while we hurry up and wait today.”

  


The 48 contestants were seated by Seung Gil as they came into the theater, and Yuri was a bit upset that he wasn't able to sit with the group he'd gotten close to that included Phichit, Leo and Sara. Instead, he was the first person in the front row of the middle section on the left end aisle seat, with four contestants that he wasn't familiar with between him and Mila, who as she slipped past wished him good luck with a smile and a quick one-armed hug. As the rows filled up Yuri found Otabek in the seat behind him, and two seats down from him was Yura. Once everyone was seated the judges were introduced and Minako took the microphone from Morooka.

“Okay. Today is going to be very fast-paced. We have seated you in the order you will be performing. When the music of the person before you ends, please stand up and come to the stage up the aisle on your left, my right. We expect you to be fully prepared today. Bear in mind that you will be critiqued as soon as your song ends, and you will find out then and there if you are cut. There are no second chances, no redos, so don't even try asking as we won't be entertaining those arguments today. We already have a pretty good idea thus far of who we are looking at, but your performances today will confirm one way or another if we are on the mark. Good luck to everyone.”

Yuri hadn't really heard most of what Minako had said past “We have you seated in the order you will be performing”... because it meant he was first. He'd escaped his biggest fear for the first three days, he shouldn't have expected his luck to hold. Even when they'd done performance exams at college, he'd always dreaded being called first. It had only happened once and he'd done fine, but this time a lot more was at stake. He tried to steady his breathing, taking advantage of the hush in the room as everyone took their places to run through the lyrics of his song once more in his head. He looked up as Takeshi gave a hand signal and Seung Gil called into the microphone that everyone was ready to go.

“Our first performer is Yuri Katsuki,” Yakov called. Yuri rose, drawing in a deep breath as he headed to the stage to a round of applause and cheers. When he'd signed the list as to what song he'd be doing he had noted he wanted to use an acoustic guitar, and as he took the stage Takeshi came forward with it, helping him slip the strap over his shoulder before he stepped up to the microphone. Below at the judges' table Minako gave him a smile which he returned, then began the acoustic guitar riff that started the song. As he started into the lyrics, he subtly changed the pronouns used from “she” to “he”, and this combined with what the lyrics were about led Yuri to picture a specific person in his mind.

He'd chosen his song, “There's Nothing Holding Me Back” by Shawn Mendes, before his interaction with Victor on the bus that morning which Victor himself knew, as everyone had logged their song choices with the band the day before. But as Yuri's eyes made contact momentarily with Victor's in the second row, the Russian felt his heart skip a beat, almost afraid to believe the impression he was getting as Yuri powered through the song, gaining confidence and playing and singing his heart out.

_[He] says that [he's] never afraid_  
 _Just picture everybody naked_  
 _[He] really doesn't like to wait_  
 _Not really into hesitation_  
  
_[He] pulls me in enough to keep me guessing_  
 _And maybe I should stop and start confessing_  
 _Confessing, yeah_  
  
_Oh, I've been shaking_  
 _I love it when you go crazy_  
 _You take all my inhibitions_  
 _Baby, there's nothing holding me back_

By the end Yuri had belted the final line of the song so hard he hopped a bit and gave an involuntary fistpump as the assembled contestants gave him an enthusiastic standing ovation, including a very red-faced Victor. Mila looked over her shoulder and upon seeing Victor's reaction, smirked and winked which only made Victor feel that much more shy.

Celestino was still applauding along with Minako at the judges' table as he began to speak into the microphone. “Yeah yeah yeah! That's what I'm talking about! Great way to open up today!” he said with a grin; Yuri already felt a wave of relief washing over him. “I love that you played guitar, I didn't realize you did so I'm glad you showed that part of yourself. This song was perfect to show off your range and you moved from low to high perfectly. I love the emotion in this too, really great performance.”

“I'm with Ciao Ciao, that was really great Yuri,” Minako grinned. “You have such a versatile voice, I think you can probably carry off anything with ease. I think the guitar brought out a bit more confidence in you as well, but just remember not to use it too much because it can become a crutch.”

“I disagree with Minako, I think instruments are the best way to compliment your voice,” Yakov continued. “I think you shine the best when you combine the skill of playing an instrument with your singing. There will be times where you might not use an instrument but I advise you to keep that to a minimum. I think the guitar brings out your performance abilities, and the piano focuses on your voice. I say you go through.”

“It's a yes for me too,” Celestino said.

“I'll add my yes as well, you're through Yuri!” Minako grinned, then laughed as Yuri let out a whoop of relief and the rest of the contestants broke into cheers. He returned the guitar to Takeshi and headed off the stage on the opposite end from where the next contestant had begun to enter, returning to his seat. Phichit had gotten up from his third row seat to hug Yuri quickly as the next performer began, and Mila reached across the two other contestants between she and Yuri to grab his hand and congratulate him as well.

Soon it was Mila's turn and she headed up to the stage, grabbing the microphone with authority as the band went into “Sorry Not Sorry” by Demi Lovato and Mila latched onto the bluesy song with her slightly raspy rock voice. She held onto the difficult melody line that moved from low to mid to high range with effortless ease and commanded the stage with a sexy confidence that had many of the guys in the audience swooning – and also a few of the girls, not the least of which was Sara, who stood up and cheered as Mila let loose a super high glory note as she sailed into the last chorus, improvising runs that seemed almost inhuman. Yuri was on his feet cheering before she was even done, and no one was surprised when she was put through with very little critique; Celestino had ventured to say that they weren't sure there was anything she didn't already need to know to be a star.

A few contestants later Leo was called up and he launched into Jason Derulo's “Want to Want Me” with an expert falsetto that Phichit and Yuri had helped him with a lot the previous evening after he'd expressed some doubts about pulling it off. Phichit cheered encouragement as Leo started to dance a bit, having gone without an instrument to focus on his voice. He had everyone cheering and some up and dancing as he continued through the song, stumbling a bit on the falsetto after the very high note just before the final chorus but recovering nicely. He was a bit out of breath as he finished, still having not quite mastered moving around and singing at the same time.

“Well well well look at you!” Minako grinned. “That was really impressive Leo, sustaining a falsetto through almost a whole song is really difficult. I know you haven't been doing vocal training long either so that makes it even more noteworthy. Very good performance. I think you still need to work on your breath control and stamina a bit though, so keep that in mind.”

“You seem to have improved dramatically just in the last couple of days since you've been here,” Celestino said. “I'm gonna start calling you Spongebob because you're soaking everything up about this experience.” The audience broke into laughter as well as Leo.

“I've been getting some help from Yuri and Phichit,” Leo noted. “They gave me some pointers on the falsetto.”

Yakov raised his eyebrows, then nodded approvingly at that. “I think if you continue to be open and learn all you can you will develop into a great performer. I think you deserve to keep going so you can grow. I say yes,” he said.

“It's a yes from me too,” Minako said.

“You're through to the next round,” Celestino nodded, and Leo jumped up and down and let out a yell before running off the stage to hugs from Yuri and Phichit.

Sara came soon after and chose “What About Us” by Pink as her song. It fit her beautiful tone perfectly and as it was one of her current favorites, she put a lot of feeling into it, concentrating on staying on pitch as the chorus built from mid to high range and back down to the low range in the verses. The audience became hushed as she captured the mood of the song perfectly, portraying the emotion to the point that Yuri had chills by the end as she put the most feeling and emotions into the final chorus, punctuating it with her free hand clenched into a fist, holding the microphone tightly with the other hand as her tone emphasized the subtle anger in the song. As she finished she actually wiped at her eyes, the emotions overcoming her along with already feeling overwhelmed by the craziness of her whole experience thus far. Everyone was confident she'd make it and with quite a bit of praise from Minako especially, Sara was put through to the next round.

Otabek was called a few contestants later and surprised the room by utilizing a mid-range he hadn't really shown previously with his song choice, “More Than You Know” by Axwell /\ Ingrosso. The melody wasn't especially challenging but most of note was Otabek's attempts to interact more with the audience, moving about the stage and encouraging everyone to clap along. As Victor watched, he started to feel a bit uncertain about Otabek's chances, as the song was rather unremarkable and didn't really show what the young Kazakh was capable of. He'd tried to help Otabek come out of his shell a bit more after the critique from the judges in the group rounds and while he was definitely trying, Victor worried it wasn't enough.

“I don't know dude, it was just okay. Neither great nor bad. You did try to up your performance game a bit and I appreciate that but honestly, if you don't up it a whole lot more it's not going to happen for you,” Celestino said. “I have to be honest, it's a no for me.” Victor could see Otabek take in a deep breath and bite his bottom lip; a few seats down from him he could hear Yura utter a 'fuck'.

“I think you're trying very hard to improve, and you just need that one thing that breaks you out of your shell,” Minako said. “You do have talent and there's _something_ there. I think you still have a chance to find that. I say yes.”

“You are listening and taking what we say to heart, which is a good thing,” Yakov agreed. “I think you should get another chance to see if you can do more. I say yes. Majority rules, you go through.”

Otabek visibly relaxed with an exhale, thanking the judges as he left the stage; Victor was annoyed as the applause was rather cool, with some irritated murmurs and “he should have gone and so and so stayed” within his earshot.

Yura was called directly after and launched into his sassy song choice, “Are You Gonna Be My Girl” by Jet, jumping around and nailing the vocals as he utilized some of the tips Victor had given him for letting the music dictate his onstage movements more than what he'd seen of others' performances. Yura got much more into it as the song went on, his ending vocals verging on screaming as he got more hyped up (which Victor had cautioned him not to do).

“We got ourselves a badass here!” Celestino grinned. “You've got great presence and personality and I think you're really picking up on how to present yourself from watching others' performances. I would be careful of stressing your voice out too much though, you still have a lot of singing to do because I'm putting you through to the next round.”

“My only thought is that you have to do more than just the edgy rocker boy,” Minako said. “You have to start showing some versatility or you're going to have a very niche audience, which could end up backfiring when the voting starts. Which of course means I'm putting you through, but just be aware you need to up your game and show some different sides.”

“I agree with both. Majority rules and you will go through, but you will have to work harder to stay in for the future rounds,” Yakov noted.

Kenjirou was next with “HandClap” by Fitz and the Tantrums. From the first notes of the intro Yuri knew this would be a fun performance, and Kenjirou delivered, bouncing around the stage and working the audience, then nailing the vocals in the chorus after the staccato chant-sing of the verses, showing versatility. Minako raved about his fun personality and the fact that he could appeal to different kinds of music fans, and approved of the “total package” of performance and vocal skills. Celestino agreed and said he loved Kenjirou's “spark”; Yakov praised the same things and he was put through to no one's surprise.

A few eliminations later Chris took the stage to the sexy dance beat of “Kiss” by Prince, surprising everyone as he sang with a flawless falsetto as he employed slinky dance steps and some that were definitely in Prince's arsenal of moves. Victor started to feel a bit worried as Chris' performance continued; it was looking like it could definitely be a serious competition between Chris and Yuri as both had exhibited performance elements that had thrown people off, himself included. The ladies in the audience were swooning, and Victor couldn't help grinning and cheering from his seat, then jumping out of it to cheer loudly as Chris powered into the final chorus, mimicking Prince's trademark scream-falsetto at the end of the song. He received a standing ovation from everyone, including the judges.

“Man, anyone that takes on the late great Prince is crazy in my book,” Celestino began. “But you pulled it off which is no easy feat. Your performance flair really added to this and you seriously are another performer with the total package. I've thought that since your audition and you just keep getting better. It's definitely a yes for me.”

“The performance was flawless, there's no denying that,” Minako said. “My only concern is that this seems to be your go-to type of song. I get that you've been this type of performer for some time, but going forward you're going to have to show more versatility because sex appeal only gets you so far. After a while people start to question if there's anything more to you, and you're too talented to have people wondering that. So think seriously about that as you go on, because I'm putting you through. You have two yesses.”

“I agree with both of my fellow judges. If you were signed as one type of artist, then this would not be a problem. But this show will be seen worldwide, and to stay in you will need to show more different sides. Be aware of that and you will continue to go far. I will still add my yes,” Yakov added. In his seat, Victor breathed a sigh of relief.

A few more contestants later it was Victor's turn. As he headed to the stage he felt a bit of nervousness creep in. He had chosen his song specifically for a reason, and considering an earlier performance, it was definitely bound to have an impact on a certain person. There were some murmurs of surprise as Takeshi handed him an acoustic guitar and he began the intro to the Shinedown song, “Miracle”. The lyrics had always meant a lot to him, but now they were secretly dedicated to a certain person as he sang, his voice soaring into the chorus and the tone of his vocals rising with passion as he went out of his way to meet eyes with Yuri as he sang the lyrics that meant the most to him:

_Ever changing, the storyline that keeps us alive_  
 _My Mona Lisa’s making me smile_  
 _Right before my eyes_  
  
_Take another look_  
 _Take a look around_  
 _It’s you and me_  
 _It’s here and now_  
 _As you sparkle in the sky_  
 _I’ll catch you while I can_  
 _Cause all we are is all I am_  
  
_I just want you to see_  
 _What I’ve always believed_  
 _You are…_  
 _The miracle in me_  
  
_These are the moments you can’t pass back_  
 _Let’s turn the water to wine_  
 _One more time_

In his seat, Yuri gasped as he locked eyes with Victor. Whether or not it was planned, it seemed they had both chosen to send a message... to each other. Yuri was still afraid to dare to hope, instead coping with the moment by convincing himself the eye contact had been unplanned. It was the only way he could deal with the possibility right now. Leo had come to sit next to him after his performance was over, and wrapped an arm around Yuri's shoulders encouragingly as Yuri covered his face with his hands as Victor finished the song.

“Dude, you are a total rock star. I don't think there's anything you're not good at,” Celestino said. “This genre is your pocket, to be honest. Even though I know you can do other stuff I think this is the most in your element I've seen you so far. You've got it all, I honestly don't have much else to offer except a pass to the next round.”

“Absolutely, you have everything you need,” Yakov agreed. “I do not understand how you haven't been chosen for any other show before this one, but that's their loss. You are going through, it would be ridiculous to do anything else.”

“Congratulations Victor, you're through to the next round,” Minako grinned. Victor flashed a confident smile and added a wink, waved to the audience after thanking the judges, then took his leave. As he headed back to his seat he noticed one open behind Yuri, as the contestants were closing the gaps with eliminations. As he drew closer however, he saw Yuri hunkered down in his seat, face flushed. Satisfied that Yuri had appeared to catch what he'd done, he decided not to intimidate the obviously shy Japanese man and moved down to the other end of the aisle to join Otabek, Mila and Yura instead.

As Phichit had been called up next Yuri was grateful for the distraction to recenter his head. He and Leo gripped each other's hand as Phichit utilized an electric guitar to begin the intro to his song, “Hold Back The River” by James Bay, one of his current favorite songs. It began with a soft melody line that showed a different, subdued side of the normally bouncy, happy Phichit. Yuri saw Yakov lean forward with interest as Phichit's voice raised to its mid-range, the guitar keeping him at center stage and bringing the focus on the voice that Yuri had always known was ridiculously amazing. As the song progressed and Phichit hit into his high range both Celestino and Minako also sat up and took notice; Leo grabbed Yuri and hugged him as both knew their friend was probably going to make it through with his very, very smart song choice. Out of the corner of his eye to his left, Yuri saw all four members of Russian Roulette give Phichit a standing ovation along with the majority of the remaining contestants as well as Minako and Celestino.

“Right song, perfect time to do it,” Yakov began. “We already knew you were a great performer with an excellent sense of the stage. This made us all listen to your voice and it is also excellent. You even have the skill of an actor with your vocals, you portray the emotions perfectly. It is a definite yes for me, I see you with a very big audience.” Phichit grinned and leaned into the microphone to thank him.

“Always the gentleman too,” Celestino continued in reply to that. “You're what we call a dream artist. Respectful, talented, listens to direction and critique, and above all makes great choices to show off his best features. You definitely need to go through, you belong in this competition. It's a yes for me.”

“You are going to be a star whether or not you win this,” Minako added. “I will add my yes as well, you're through to the next round Phichit.” Phichit thanked them both and waved to the cheering contestants as he left the stage to be greeted by a group hug from Sara, Leo and Yuri; all four members of their group had made it through.

There were only 8 contestants left as Jean-Jacques took the stage, donning an acoustic guitar and launching into the sensitive, sweet ballad “Home” by the Canadian band Blue October. There seemed to be something special about the song to him, as JJ seemed very emotional and grateful as he sang the lyrics, that told a song of someone with a good life and a good family and good friends around him encouraging him to be everything he had the potential to be. In the change of the song it actually appeared JJ was tearing up a bit; Yuri looked over to the side section where family and friends were and saw Isabella, who it had turned out was JJ's girlfriend, wiping away tears as the song went into the final chorus, his performance filled with emotion as it ended. He wiped away a few tears of his own as he stepped up to the microphone to await the judges' critiques.

“That was a really heartfelt performance, which is something we haven't seen from you up till now,” Minako noted. “It seems like this song means a lot to you.”

“Yes ma'am... it makes me think of my family and my girlfriend Isabella, who was a contestant too. They've all supported me so much in what I've wanted to be,” JJ replied.

“I think you need to make more song choices like this. Everything doesn't always have to be for show or to please the crowd. If a song means something to you, that's going to show in your performance and that will pull in the audience just as much as something flashy. This was a very good song choice for you as it showed a lot of growth. I want you to use that consideration as you choose your songs going forward. I am sending you through to the next round,” Minako replied; JJ teared up again a bit at that.

“I agree with Minako, this was the most sincere we've seen you so far,” Celestino said. “You need to have a balance between confidence and vulnerability. The confidence has to not come off as cocky, and the vulnerability has to not be seen as weakness. This song struck a good balance for you. Remember how you felt doing this and choose wisely from here on out. You're through to the next round, it's a yes for me.”

“I told you in your audition to continue to listen to what you are told. I think you forgot that for a bit, but you are learning it again now. This time do not forget it. You have another chance to make that work for you,” Yakov added. JJ thanked them all and thanked the applauding contestants before he left the stage.

Four more contestants performed with only one more going through before, to the confusion of everyone, both Guang Hong Ji and Mickey Crispino were called to the stage together.

“We are down to the last two people, but we can only put through one,” Minako said; the assembled contestants murmured and gasped at that. “So Guang Hong, Mickey, you are both going to perform your songs, and we'll critique each of you when you've both finished. We'll then decide which of you goes through.”

“Whoa,” Leo said, eyes wide. “This is intense.”

“Wait,” Phichit said, “They said 'last two people'... Aren't...”

“Shhh! Guang Hong is starting,” Yuri hushed him.

Guang Hong began his song, “This Town” by Niall Horan, his usual animated performance replaced by the soft, acoustic ballad and the revealing of a soft, pleasant-sounding voice that had been difficult to distinguish with his song choices to that point. And as he seemed a bit nervous, staying at center stage and not really interacting much with the audience and not playing an instrument to add something to the performance, Yuri wondered if it would be enough. Despite the comparatively subdued presentation however, everyone in the theater was hushed, noticing when Guang Hong seemed to gain confidence during the performance. He finished with a shy smile, nodding in appreciation of the applause.

Mickey was next with his song... which everyone was surprised to hear was “Serenade for Two”, his audition song that he'd been told then was not a good choice. Yuri cringed; one of the things that had been frowned upon on American Idol especially was repeating songs, especially ones that hadn't gone well the first time around. As Mickey sang he focused his attention on Sara, very obviously singing the song to her, getting distracted and committing yet another mortal mistake: he stumbled and forgot some of his words as he saw Sara covering her face with her hands as she realized what a huge mistake her brother was making, but he took it as her being overwhelmed with emotion. He finished the song to modest, polite applause.

There was a long pause as the judges leaned back from their microphones; from the interactions Victor could tell there was some conflict going on, with Yakov being the most resistant to whatever was being discussed. Onstage, Guang Hong and Mickey both stood, with Guang Hong seeming very nervous and Mickey seeming confident despite a less than perfect performance. Finally, the three judges turned toward the stage.

“Mickey, we told you when you did this song for your audition that it wasn't a good choice for you,” Minako said. “Why did you decide to do it again?”

Mickey seemed confused as to why she'd asked. “I thought it would be better with a full band and not just piano,” he replied. “The song means a lot to me and I wanted to do it justice.”

“You made a couple of mistakes here,” Celestino noted. “Never focus on just one person in the audience for a whole song. You alienate the rest of the people watching, and it was clearly distracting as you forgot some of your words.”

“The fact that you did a song that does nothing to show your vocal range, and one we have told you didn't work well for you, means you do not listen to directions,” Yakov said. “You show no growth when you rely on past achievements.” Mickey's hands clasped behind his back and he pulled in his lower lip, shifting from one foot to the other awkwardly.

“Guang Hong, I liked this song for you,” Minako said. “We've seen a really fun, teen idol/boy band thing from you up to now but this shows that you do have a good voice and potential to try new things. I'm really impressed with it.”

“The song wasn't the most challenging, but for you who up to now were relying on showmanship it's a big step to strip it down to just you and the vocals,” Celestino added. “We know you don't have a lot of stage experience, so doing that is actually a risk for an artist like you.”

“You have to be willing to step outside of your strengths,” Yakov noted. “Taking a chance and surprising your listeners and fans is important and it helps create longevity. You are young but I think you are starting to understand that.” Guang Hong flushed, but nodded in response; Victor cringed at the angry glare Mickey gave him. One never, ever should show animosity to a fellow competitor or musician.

At this point, Hisashi had returned to the stage to oversee the proceedings, standing between the two contestants. “Judges, have you reached a decision?” he asked.

“Yes,” Yakov said. “The contestant we are putting through to the next round... is Guang Hong.”

The entire room gasped; Guang Hong's face was a mask of total shock, Mickey's anger. Guang Hong composed himself enough to extend a hand to Mickey to part amiably, but Mickey refused, stepping back and turning toward the judges. To stave off any more awkwardness Hisashi directed both contestants to leave the stage, but only Guang Hong did; instead, Mickey stepped forward with his microphone.

“Why wouldn't you think that performing the song again and doing it better isn't growth?” he asked; in the audience, Sara sank down further in her seat.

“Not only have you shown us you are reluctant to move forward, you have also shown us that you have difficulty taking advice and working with others,” Yakov said. “Your performance in the group round showed us that you are unwilling to do what you need to to be part of a team, and in today's music industry it takes a village to raise an artist to the top of the charts. I do not think you have the patience or the consideration for others to cope with it. The other judges feel the same. Guang Hong can learn and has shown he is willing to. You have been eliminated, please leave the stage.” Yuri held his breath as Mickey hesitated for a few moments more, then took his leave, with security making sure he left the theater.

The remaining contestants were then called back to the stage, and as they assembled Yuri turned back to Phichit. “Now what were you saying before?” he asked him.

“Look around,” Phichit said. “There are _way_ more than 12 of us left.”

Victor had come over to them as well and had heard Phichit's words; he stopped in his tracks and looked around, eyes widening, then looked back at Yuri and Phichit. “Um... he's right...” Victor noticed the realization dawning on all of the faces on the stage.

“Hold up,” Leo said. “All day they've been saying 'through to the next round' not 'through to the live shows...' what...what's going on...?”

Below at the judges' table, Yakov, Celestino and Minako were already ambivalent about what was about to happen. The decision had been made over a heated discussion with Morooka and the producers the night before, after some very frantic arrangements had been made; it was something that definitely had not been in the script.

“All right everyone, attention please,” Minako called, bringing the contestants on the stage to attention. “As you can see, there are more than 12 of you left... 24 to be exact. We have had a very difficult time getting the number down to a top 12, because there is a lot of talent left. So there is going to be an extra test, one that will separate the bathroom mirror singers from the legit potential stars,” she continued, using a phrase she'd often used in various forms when making brutal final cuts in her own dancer auditions. “You've all basically been performing to three people, and that's us. We, as well as Morooka, have decided that to make our final cuts, we have to take you out of the element you've been comfortable with.”

“Your goal is to get to the live shows,” Yakov continued. “It only makes sense that we see who can perform best in a live situation. In the music industry, we call this a “Showcase”. Artists who are potential acts to be signed to a label perform in front of a small crowd to gauge how they respond to an audience.”

“So. You will have two days to prepare for this, which we fought for because it's something that was added last night when we knew we wouldn't be able to get it down to twelve contestants. The 24 of you will be doing an exclusive, invitation-only showcase for a select group of fans who have been chosen from those who've bought tickets to the live shows via a lottery system. This will take place at the legendary Troubadour in Los Angeles. You will have the full backing of our house band, and mentoring sessions with Takeshi and our performance mentor, Emil Nekola of the boy band Anastasis. Our stylist Georgi Popovich is pulling outfits for you all to wear and will be helping you with styling. This is your final audition. We will determine the top 12 who are capable of performing live well enough to go to the live, worldwide-broadcast shows from these performances.”

The contestants broke into gasps, nervous chatter and a few of the younger ones had teared up. Yuri felt his insides clench. _Oh god. Not this, not again..._ Phichit saw his face and knew what Yuri was thinking about and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, murmuring encouragement to him. Victor, standing nearby, noticed with concern and wondered what was wrong, but stayed silent.

“Seung Gil is going around with song lists and itineraries for the next three days. Tomorrow you'll work with the band on your songs and arrangements; you'll be given input on how you want to make the songs your own. The next day you'll work with Emil on presentation and have a styling session with Georgi and his makeup artist Anya, then one final rehearsal with the band. And Saturday is the big day, after which we'll come back here and inform you of our final cuts,” Celestino finished.

“We would not be doing this if the decision wasn't so difficult,” Yakov added. “We have a lot of talent here, and this may seem shocking but it is actually a complement to all of you who remain. We want to see what we know you are capable of, and to see you all shine, so we can know we've made the right choices. Take tonight to rest, and tomorrow begins the closest you have come yet to actually working in the industry. Take it all in, and learn as much as you can.”

“And with that, it's a wrap for today,” Hisashi Morooka said. “Good luck everyone, and we will see you all back here tomorrow at 9 am sharp.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a bit late this week! As you can see this chapter turned into a monster. I thought about breaking it into two chapters, but ultimately decided I liked it all better as one. This fic is on track to be the longest written work I've ever done. The most difficult part right now is finding songs for everyone to do, but it should get easier once the live shows, which will have specific themes, start to happen. Also: As a long-time figure skating fan, the season has started so I've been trying to squeeze in keeping up with that as well, lol :x
> 
> re: Ketty, Min So and Kanako - three minor players in YOI that I grabbed as extra bit players here; Min So is Seung Gil's coach in canon and Kanako is Kenjirou's coach in the show. I'm pretty sure they are both much older than they're portrayed here (college age), but I wanted to have a YOI tie rather than throwing in some original minor characters so I fudged their ages a bit. Ketty is probably around 24 now in canon, as in YOI she is the girl who wrote both versions of "Yuri on Ice" for Yuri while they were in college.
> 
> As mentioned last time, I have made a playlist! You can find it [here on Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/user/fallbackintome/playlist/0jJjh4a3fv5oXd7iSJMhSH), and I'll be adding the songs mentioned each week from here on out. Everything I've used so far has been added in the order of appearance to the story.
> 
> As always, thank you for reading, and for all the comments and kudos! As the holidays get closer, there's a chance I may not be updating every weekend; if that happens I will try not to skip more than one week if I can help it. But for now, I'll say see you next week. :)


	5. Hurray for Hollywood Week - Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Morooka:** After four grueling rounds of performances and dramatic cuts, our contestants got to what they thought was the final round, the Sudden Death eliminations. But the level of talent we've discovered has left our judges with a pool of 24 contestants they're still having difficulty making cuts to. So they're going to put them to the ultimate test: A live performance showcase in front of the very fans like those that they'll be depending on in the coming Top 12 Live Rounds to keep them in the competition with their votes. They'll need to capture the adoration of those who will make or break their careers, along with the approval of our judges. They have two days to polish their songs and performances, as well as their images, before the big night. Who will survive the final round of cuts after their moment of truth at the Troubadour in Los Angeles? Stay tuned to find out in this special four hour, two-night edition of SUPERSTAR GRAND PRIX!!

**Morooka:** After four grueling rounds of performances and dramatic cuts, our contestants got to what they thought was the final round, the Sudden Death eliminations. But the level of talent we've discovered has left our judges with a pool of 24 contestants they're still having difficulty making cuts to. So they're going to put them to the ultimate test: A live performance showcase in front of the very fans like those that they'll be depending on in the coming Top 12 Live Rounds to keep them in the competition with their votes. They'll need to capture the adoration of those who will make or break their careers, along with the approval of our judges. They have two days to polish their songs and performances, as well as their images, before the big night. Who will survive the final round of cuts after their moment of truth at the Troubadour in Los Angeles? Stay tuned to find out in this special four hour, two-night edition of SUPERSTAR GRAND PRIX!!

  
  


**Hollywood Week, End of Day 4 (After Sudden Death Round)**

The 24 remaining contestants had been taken back to the hotel for the night on the shuttle buses, and though they had two days to work on their performances before the showcase that coming Saturday, many of them had set straight to work combing over the list of available songs to decide what they wanted to do. Their choices had to be logged in upon their arrival at the Civic Center for their mentoring session with Takeshi and the band, and they were told to choose at least three possible options, as no repeated songs would be allowed. As such, many of the contestants had left their hotel room doors open and everyone was milling about, checking with each other to see what people were thinking of doing. The two floors of rooms had been combined down to one with the most recent set of eliminations, so the atmosphere had become almost family-like.

Victor was sitting on the end of his bed, strumming his acoustic guitar and mulling over several ideas for what songs he wanted to do, when he began to hear someone playing a keyboard set to piano tone. The playing was brilliant; the notes lilting and delicate, executed very quickly in a flowing staccato that spoke of someone who had likely been playing since childhood. He set his guitar down, grabbed the keycard for the room to lock up as Yura was off with Otabek again, and headed out into the hallway to find the source of the playing just as the piece of music hit a flourish with a melody line that, for some reason, tugged at Victor's heartstrings and gave him a lump in his throat. He'd never heard this piece before and he wondered if it was something original as he followed the sound down toward the far end of the hall, where a suite of conference rooms had been opened up by the hotel staff for the contestants to use should they want to practice, giving them a place to do so without disturbing others.

Victor walked into the main room to find only one person there, his back to the door as he played the song. It had gotten to a quiet, sensitive part in the melody and Victor stood silently, not wanting to disturb him as he seemed to be in a zone. The melody picked up again, building in what seemed like joyous excitement; finally, a reprise of the flourish that had first pulled Victor's emotions to the surface before the song ended with a cascading round of notes that slowed down and ended with a single, sustained note that faded out as the player sat quietly at the keyboard that was set up on a table, hands still resting on the keys as he took several deep breaths.

Victor moved carefully around the room then, wanting to not startle the other man as he slowly walked into the other's field of vision. Or it would have been, if he wasn't still sitting at the keyboard, eyes closed, taking deep breaths; his face spoke of several conflicting emotions and he looked as if he were going to cry. After a few more silent moments, Victor's concern grew to the point where he finally decided to see if he was all right.

“Yuri?” Victor questioned, his voice just barely above a soft murmur; Yuri's eyes flew open and he looked around, seeming almost disoriented for a few moments until he caught sight of the Russian, his face still a mixture of what looked like fear and the effects of coming out of the trance that came on when one immersed themselves into a healing piece of music.

“Oh... Victor... I didn't hear you come in,” Yuri said, his voice a bit shaky.

Victor moved closer, keeping his actions slow and gentle; he felt like Yuri would bolt out of the room if he came on too quickly. “What was that piece you were playing? It was beautiful. I've never heard it before.”

“Oh... I wrote it,” Yuri replied, seeming to relax a little. “I used it for my freshman dance recital. I never came up with a better name for it than 'Yuri's Love'*. I wrote it about the different kinds of love that I have in my life that encouraged me to pursue my dreams. My family, Phichit...and now when I was just playing it, even my new friends that I've made here too. It helps me to remember all the support I have.”

“I see. Well... if you have a recording of it, I'd love to get a copy,” Victor replied. “It's brilliant.”

Yuri's face flushed then; he felt his insides doing flips as they had been whenever he was close to Victor. “Thanks... I do have one actually, on my phone. I... can send it to you,” he said, then immediately realized what it sounded like... too late, as a playful smile crossed Victor's face just as the thought occurred to Yuri.

“Are you asking me for my phone number, Yuri?” Victor winked. “That was about the smoothest line I've ever heard.”

“No! I mean... well, yeah I'd need it to send it to you... but I wasn't asking _that_ way... I mean... oh nevermind!” Yuri stammered, completely flustered now; Victor chuckled warmly in response.

“I'm actually surprised to see you alone,” Victor noted, changing the subject so as not to completely put Yuri off to him. “You seem to have a close little group of friends now.”

“Oh... Phichit and Leo went to get something to eat, and Sara went to see Mickey. I guess they're trying to figure out a way he can stay in LA while she's here so she's got some family nearby.”

“And you didn't want to eat?” Victor asked, concerned.

“No... I... I need to practice. And I needed some time alone. I'm... kinda not used to being around this many people. Even college was a lot more calm than this. It's all been nonstop since we got here and I just... needed to decompress. I was feeling stifled in the room so I came in here. I always did that in college, they left the rehearsal rooms open till pretty late and sometimes I'd just go down there and play to clear my head when I was overwhelmed with my studies.”

“I noticed you seemed a bit tense when I came in,” Victor noted. “Are... are you all right?” Victor was certain he'd asked the wrong question when in response Yuri suddenly buried his face in his hands, taking in a deep breath and exhaling sharply, then kept his face covered as he spoke. It was the first time that Victor had noticed that Yuri's glasses were set next to the keyboard on the table; in his concern he hadn't noticed that Yuri looked any different.

“I... I'm worried about Saturday,” Yuri said. “The last time I did something like this.... It... didn't go well.”

“How so?” Victor asked.

Yuri was silent for several long moments then. He debated whether or not he should open up to Victor, while at the same time feeling that talking to someone other than Phichit about it might help. Finally, he decided to throw caution to the wind, something that, for some reason, Victor made him actually want to do.

“For... for my freshman dance recital, our class was set to perform in front of the students of the performing arts program. It was part of our spring celebrations ending the year. I wrote this piece specifically because I wanted to dance for my family and friends, to pay tribute to them for their support because I was getting that much closer to my dream of being a professional dancer. I wanted to maybe make it to a national company someday, somewhere bigger than in Japan. They were going to live stream it on the college's website, and my family were getting up in in the middle of the night Japan time to watch.

“But the morning of the recital, I got some bad news from home. My sister Mari called to tell me that my dog had died. He wasn't even that old... I'd had him since I was 12. But it was sudden, it wasn't like he'd been sick. I was devastated and I felt seriously guilty I wasn't there and that I didn't get to say goodbye.”

Victor had immediately been affected then; he thought about his own dog, Makkachin, whom he'd been missing in just the few days he'd been busy with Hollywood Week. Even though his friend was taking great care of him, Victor hated being apart from his own four-legged best friend. He pulled his chair closer to Yuri's, folding his arms on the table near Yuri's keyboard.

“Oh Yuri... I'm so sorry. That had to be so horrible,” Victor said, his tone gentle.

“Yeah...” Yuri's voice was shaky as he went on. “So... I tried to focus for the performance. But when I started to dance... all I could think about was my boy. He'd been with me through so much, all those tough times growing up that you go through especially when you're a nerdy kid like me... I got made fun of for doing ballet and music in school. My pup was my happy place, he always seemed to know when I was sad and stuck to me like glue. And I just... I fell apart. I was a mess. I fell on my stag leaps, toppled over on a pirouette that I could usually do in my sleep... even lost balance on the arabesque ending pose. A few people applauded but there were people laughing at me. I called home later and my mom just said how disappointed in me everyone was. Needless to say, I failed my first year of dance. I would have had to start over, been behind... and I couldn't face any of those teachers, any of the other students that would go on ahead of me, again.

“I finally decided to quit. At first I was just going to go home to Japan and start over with dance at a university back home. But Phichit, who had just moved in at the time, suggested changing my major instead. I was minoring in music, specifically piano, so I switched things up and changed my major to music and minor to vocal training, with some elective theater classes. Something I was just as good at... that can be behind the scenes if need be. I had to do an extra semester because I had to start over with both as there were different requirements when music is your major versus your minor.

“The first day of the solo rounds was the most people I'd been in front of since, but it was different because I didn't have the distractions and I was confident in my playing. But now.... this situation... it's just... too close to home... that night back then, all I kept hearing about was that everyone thought I was weak... that it was 'just a dog' and I shouldn't have let it ruin my performance... and that I should just drop out and give up dancing if I couldn't handle the pressure...”

Victor stayed silent then, taking in Yuri's story. He wasn't really sure how to help, and didn't want to say the wrong thing, so he weighed his thoughts carefully for a bit as Yuri calmed himself down for the moment, reaching to set his blue-rimmed glasses back onto his nose, emphasizing eyes which were red from tearing up while he'd been speaking.

“You did fine in front of all the other contestants the first day. In fact you nailed it. People in the audience were in awe of how amazing you were. You know you can do this, you know you have the skills to do it just fine. Remember what Yakov said, that he feels you're best with an instrument to complement you. When you choose your song, pick something you'll play an instrument on. It pulls your focus away from the audience a bit because you need to concentrate on your vocals, remembering the lyrics, and playing.”

“It's just... it's not just going to be 400 people this time or however much the Troubadour holds. People around the world are going to see this on TV. Even if I don't make it through... if I fall apart... I'll never be able to make it because everyone will think I'm weak... that I couldn't handle one performance... and my family will watch me go down in flames again, this time in front of the world...”

Victor bit his lip then; Yuri's tone had turned sad, frightened. “Yuri. You're not weak. No one that knows you from these last few days thinks that. I've heard so many of the contestants saying how great you are, and how you put down the performance you need when it counts the most.” He paused for a moment then as another thought came to his mind, debating it with a curled index finger against his lips before putting it forth. “This is a weird question but... how well can you see without your glasses?”

The question did come from nowhere, but it was odd enough to distract Yuri from the panic beginning to tighten his insides. “Not very,” he replied. “Everything's kind of a blur, and more so if it's dim in the room.”

“If you can see well enough to play your instrument, which you should be able to do by feel at your experience level, then I'd say don't wear them. You won't be able to make out faces even if you do look up at the audience. The judges won't be critiquing at the Troubadour, so you won't have to worry about seeing them when they talk to you right then. It sounds crazy but it might help.”

Yuri looked over at Victor then. “That... actually might. And I was leaning toward using the keyboard for that reason too, because of what Yakov said.”

“And there's another thought I have too... your family will also see all of your other performances up to now. Your solo round and how you helped your group kick ass for the group round, and the Sudden Death performance which was...” Victor paused, feeling a flush dust his cheeks. “That was pretty fantastic too. You have three solid performances under your belt already. There's no reason you can't pull this one off.”

Yuri felt himself relaxing more then. For the moment, at least, Victor's words and encouragement had brought his mind back to focused and helped him keep the anxiety-borne irrational thoughts at bay, and he felt himself smile with both relief and gratitude. “Yeah... you're right. I did do pretty well so far... I wouldn't be here right now if I didn't.”

Victor nodded, smiling softly. “There. I think those things will help you get through it. And you have your friends to lean on if you need them... and I'm always here to talk if you want to as well. I can be whatever you need me to be... brother, friend, or just someone to listen when you need it.”

Yuri felt the butterflies flitting around in his stomach again at that, and they only increased when he met Victor's blue eyes with his own. For a few moments, there was another word on the tip of his tongue that he'd like Victor to be... someday, maybe, he'd tell it to him. He smiled, feeling the blush play over his face once again.

“Just... be who you are,” Yuri replied. “I... it sounds crazy, but ever since I discovered you, I've always looked up to you. Even though you were only playing in clubs and stuff... it's kind of still what I wanted to be doing myself. Having a band, playing gigs, writing music. And... I kind of feel like I got a little bit of an idea of what you were like from your live streams... and... yeah.”

It was Victor's turn to blush again then, dipping his head down shyly for a few moments as his own butterflies threatened to scatter his thoughts. He rested his chin on his hand then, reaching over to extend his free hand to Yuri's for a shake, which Yuri accepted.

“You have a deal,” Victor said with one of those dazzling smiles that Yuri had always loved. “Now, can you play me that piece again? I didn't get to hear it all very well because I had to find you first.”

Yuri's smiled broadened then as he found himself calmed, at least for the moment, by Victor's words and flattered by his wanting to hear Yuri's original music. “Sure, I can do that,” he replied.

  
  


**Hollywood Week, Day 5: Mentoring sessions with Takeshi & Lilia**

Even though both Phichit and Yuri had stayed up until about 1 am working on their songs via instruments run through headphones so as not to disturb anyone, Yuri was uncharacteristically wide awake. For as long as Phichit had known him, Yuri _hated_ mornings. It was like pulling dinosaur fossils out of stone to get him out of bed even with a lot of sleep.

But even after he'd laid down and Phichit thought Yuri was asleep, he'd looked over to see Yuri texting on his phone. Figuring it was probably his sister Mari, Phichit thought nothing of it, but this morning Yuri was preoccupied yet again, with a grin on his face to boot.

“What's got into you today?” Phichit asked as they gathered their things to head down to the lobby.

“Oh... just texting with Victor. He's going to meet us downstairs,” Yuri said as if he hadn't been more or less terrified of Victor just 24 hours earlier.

“Wait. _What?_ ” Phichit said, trying to snatch Yuri's phone from him, but Yuri sidestepped quickly away. “When did this happen??”

Yuri then realized that he hadn't told Phichit about his conversation with Victor. “Oh yeah... you came in late last night after helping out Leo, I forgot,” Yuri began as they headed down the hall to the elevators. “I was in the conference room playing last night. Everyone had their doors open and he heard me playing 'Yuri's Love' and came in. We talked for a long time and he ended up getting his guitar and we played together for a while. He's... pretty much like he is on the live streams he's done and in his videos. He's just... really encouraging.” Yuri's face was bright red as they stepped into the elevator, with Phichit holding the door for Leo, Sara, Guang Hong and Kenjirou.

“Guys. Yuri hung out with Victor last night,” Phichit said to Sara and Leo; behind them, Kenjirou's face turned from cheerful to what seemed to be disappointment; Guang Hong gave him a pat on the shoulder.

“Nooooooo!” Sara gasped. “What happened? Tell me everything!” Yuri then repeated what he'd said to Phichit, after which Sara pounced on Yuri, squeezing him in a hug.

“Yuuurrriiiii he likes youuuuu!” she teased.

“ _And_ he's got Victor's phone number!!” Phichit grinned, at which Leo's mouth dropped open.

“Oh my god Yuri seriously? Get it brother!” Leo laughed.

“It's not like that!!” Yuri said, fully flustered now. “He wanted a copy of 'Yuri's Love' and I had it on my phone so I sent it to him.”

“Oh I bet he wants Yuri's Love,” Sara giggled as the doors opened.

“Oh my god the three of you are impossible!” Yuri laughed. “We're getting to know each other. He's really cool.” As they began walking toward the foyer where the rest of the contestants were gathering, Yuri looked up and saw Victor coming from the hotel restaurant, two coffees to go in hand.

“Cream and sugar right?” Victor asked as he handed one to Yuri.

“Yes, thanks,” Yuri said. Behind him, his three friends were giggling softly, trying to remain calm but failing miserably.

“So did you decide on your song choices?” Victor asked as the contestants began to file outside to the one remaining bus.

“I did. I definitely know what my first choice is, and it's a song that wasn't super popular but enough that people would know it, so I don't think it will be taken. I really hope not... it's one of my favorites and I've always wanted to play it for something.”

“It sounded great last night,” Victor said. “I think as you develop it it's going to be pretty tough to beat.” He stepped back then, staying Yuri, Phichit and Leo with a hand, then offering the same hand to Sara to help her up onto the bus; she grinned and blushed as she accepted.

“Thank you Victor,” she smiled. “Such a gentleman.”

Victor waited for Phichit, Leo and Yuri to get on board before stepping up into the bus, taking the same seat about four rows back that he'd sat in with Yuri the day before.

“I'm pretty sure mine won't be taken, I don't think there's anyone here that would want to do it. Which is an advantage for me,” Victor said.

“Have you done it before at all?” Yuri asked.

“I did it with my last band. It's very taxing on the voice though, so we only performed it sparingly.”

“Awww, look at you two, when's the wedding?” Victor's face changed into an expression of annoyance as JJ moved past in the aisle while asking his 'question', sitting just behind Phichit and Sara and taking the empty spot next to Leo. Yuri kept his face down, scrolling through his phone and trying to ignore JJ.

“So what fancy notes are you going to try to do this time Victor?” JJ asked. “Have you run out of rock songs yet?”

“No. There's plenty to go around, but don't worry that means I'll leave all the Miley Cyrus for you,” Victor snapped; the bus erupted into laughter and “ooohhhhhhs”; Leo burst into laughter even though he was sitting right next to JJ. Yuri had covered his face with a hand, trying not to break into giggles himself. JJ was silent after that, but the overall mood of the contestants had lightened considerably after the trash-talk exchange.

Soon everyone was filing into the Civic Center to find things set up a bit differently. All of the contestants were taken to one of the convention meeting rooms, where morning refreshments of coffee, tea, bagels and donuts were available. Seung Gil came in once everyone was settled to tell them that each contestant would have a 30 minute session with Takeshi and a 30 minute voice evaluation with the show's vocal coach, Lilia Baranovskaya, whom they hadn't met yet. Two contestants would be called at a time, and once they were done they were free to use one of the several practice spaces that had been set up in the other meeting rooms throughout the center to rehearse, during which Takeshi and Lilia would do periodic checks to see if anyone needed more help.

Victor had caught up with Mila, Otabek and Yura, and as they got settled he looked up to see Yuri and his friends at the other end of the long table and he waved them over, gesturing to the four empty chairs available.

“Why do we have to sit with everyone?” Yura whined. “I can't think straight as it is.”

“Well you should have gone to bed earlier,” Otabek snorted.

“Oh Yura, would it kill you to make some friends?” Mila said, shaking her head with an eyeroll.

“I'm not here to make friends, I'm here to win,” Yura snapped, at which his three companions all broke into laughter.

“I'm serious!” he said in a huff, then grabbed his bagel and took a bite, resting his face on his free hand with a sour expression.

Mila grinned as Sara sat down next to her, and both women giggled as Yuri sat down next to Victor, with Phichit next to him and Leo on Sara's side of the table next to her.

“So do you guys all know what songs you want to do?” Mila asked.

“I'm good,” Phichit said. “Mine wasn't taken so I grabbed it right away.”

“Yeah mine wasn't either,” Yuri said, “which is a relief because I was worried about it.”

“Good,” Victor said. “Mine wasn't but I didn't expect it to be to be honest.”

“I'm doing one that isn't very well known,” Leo said. “I hope that doesn't get me yelled at.”

“I think you'll be fine,” Phichit said. “Sometimes if you do a song that's been done a million times on these shows you get voted against just for being unoriginal.”

“Good point,” Otabek said. “That's why I tried to go for something I knew I hadn't seen being done.”

As Victor was about to respond he noticed Seung Gil walking up to the front of the room with a clipboard, flanked by a production assistant and cameraman. “Looks like they might be getting started,” he noted.

“Yuri Plisetsky, Phichit Chulanont to the front of the room please,” Seung Gil called.

“Welp, here I go,” Phichit said, pausing to bump fists with Yuri and accept a good luck handshake from Victor as he got up, heading over to Seung Gil with Yura following behind. They were led a bit down the main hallway from the lobby, where Yura was directed to a room on the right, and Phichit into the main theater where the band was still set up on stage. He sprinted up the center aisle and bounded up the stairs with a grin.

“Well someone's ready to go, I like it! Good to to see you Phichit. Have a seat if you want,” Takeshi said, motioning to the seat accompanying the extra keyboard for contestants; a cameraman and production assistant was standing near to record the exchange. “So, this song choice I have for you is pretty interesting. What made you pick it?”

“Well... It's for someone who is a lot stronger than they think they are. But I want to keep it a secret till the night of the performances who it is,” Phichit said. “It reminds me of them though.”

“All right, we can roll with that. Will you be playing an instrument for this?”

“I think I'd like to try the keyboard here and see if I like how it feels. If it doesn't work I'll just sing,” Phichit said.

“All right. Let's hear you sing it with just you on keyboard for right now, and we'll see how the vocal sounds and take it from there with the band.”

  
  


Across the hall, Yura had walked into the room to find the second keyboardist for the stage band at a baby grand piano, and a woman he remembered from his audition in Moscow, though she had only observed and not given any input to his performance then.

“Good morning Yurachka,” she said in Russian. “I am Lilia Baranovskaya. I was present at your audition in Moscow.”

For all his edginess and bluster around the other contestants, Yura got the sense that there would be no messing with this woman. “I remember,” he replied also in Russian.

“The thing I remembered about you from then is that while your voice is trained, I think it is not quite trained in the technique needed for the type of music you want to perform,” Lilia said, switching back to English so the Japanese pianist could follow the conversation. “I am concerned you might injure yourself, so I will show you a way to belt that is different. You will need to practice it to make it come naturally, but I think you will learn quickly. You have the skills, now you must adapt.”

“I will do whatever it takes,” Yura replied. “I want to to learn everything so I can win.”

“Good. That is what I like to hear. The song you will be doing doesn't need this technique, but it is something that can be applied to different situations. We will work a bit on both here. I am very interested in hearing your song. I am pleased you have chosen something different for this.”

“After the judges said it and even a few of the contestants that I needed to do something else I knew it might backfire if I stuck to what I know,” Yura replied. “So I'm hoping this song will be what I need to move forward.”

  
  


“Victor Nikiforov, scaring the hell out of every rock singer that ever lived. Are you sure you're human?”

Takeshi and the band were all in awe after the run-through of Victor's song; in fact, the guitarist was still laughing in disbelief.

“Last I checked,” Victor quipped. “Come on, there has to be something you can tell me about it.”

“No... I honestly don't think you need any help at all. The presentation, your comfort level with this song, everything's right there. I will say it's very apparent that you've performed in clubs though. When you do move about the stage, it's in a tight path. The big stage we'll be working on for the live shows is something you might have to learn to open up to.”

Victor placed an index finger against his lips, one leg extended in front of him and braced on the back edge of the heel of his boot. “Mm... maybe. Even when I did ballet, I performed in smaller places. But I think once I get the reaction from the audience, I'll be fine. But I'll definitely remember to focus on it if I make it.”

“ _If?_ ” Takeshi laughed; a few of the other band members chuckled as well, and the drummer fired off a “badump-ching” and called out that Victor should be a comedian as well. “Please, Victor, if you're not in the final two of this competition, something is very, very wrong.”

  
  


“You have a very versatile voice. You seem to adapt to many different styles very well. This song has a bit of an American blues feel in the vocal line which is something I am not very familiar with. Takeshi may be able to offer more advice on that part.”

Lilia had just finished listening to Yuri's chosen song, which Yuri was happy he was able to get through considering the intimidating presence Lilia exuded. She seemed cordial enough, but Yuri was quite familiar with seasoned professionals who knew their chosen art well, having worked with a few who had taught courses while he was in college. But Lilia was a legend, and meeting her was, in and of itself, quite the honor for someone who had studied many forms of voice on top of her chosen genre of opera.

“The only thing I do think though, is that despite what we have seen from you so far, I believe you are capable of more. You lose yourself in the music, but that is not the same as letting go. I think you have the capability to be completely free on the stage,” Lilia said. “Do not just take what is in your heart and give it to the audience when you sing, or when you feel the emotions in a song. Give them your entire heart and soul, without question.”

Yuri nodded, feeling the flush creep up from his neck again. It was something he'd been told by a few of his instructors over the last few years. “I've tried to get to that point over time, but I guess I'm a bit afraid of letting myself go too much, to where I mess up,” he replied.

“There is a messy performance, one that is unrehearsed or poorly executed, and then there are the stumbles that come from that moment of complete abandon, the euphoria of that part of the music that digs deep inside you,” Lilia said. “It is always apparent which is which. You are polished, you are professional, you pay the music the honor it deserves, your body even reacts to it. The biggest thing you have to work on right now is letting that euphoria take you over, and leave the care of complete perfection behind. In opera, as I performed, even then there are still moments that this can happen. Find the way you can express it best. You will know when you feel it. And when you do, master the art of letting go.”

  
  


“JJ, I'm not really sure how I feel about this song. It's all well and good to be subtle and all, but I'm not sure if this song fits you.”

Takeshi had just finished watching Jean-Jacques' performance with the band looking on, as the song he'd chosen was just his own acoustic guitar and voice. As such the musical director was having his doubts about JJ's choice.

“It's a song that means a lot to me though,” JJ said, his tone slightly argumentative. “The judges said to make more song choices with my emotions in mind.”

“Yes, they did. But I feel like you're singing this song for someone else, not yourself. There's a disconnect to it that I can't pin down. Also, it's a song that was originally performed with two voices in harmony, and it sounds a bit sparse with just one. I really think one of your other choices might go over better with the judges.”

“I feel good about this one though. The others were ones I just picked because we had to pick three, this is the one I want. Just tell me what I need to do to fix it and I'll do that,” JJ replied.

Takeshi sighed then. “All right. The main thing you need to do is put yourself into the place of whoever this song represents to you, rather than singing it _for_ them. You have to channel the right emotions, or this will come off as a dedication instead a song you're performing for yourself.”

“It is a dedication though,” JJ said. “It's meant to be a gift.”

“Right now, you should be focusing on yourself and what you need to do to get through to the next round, not on anyone else,” Takeshi noted. “Now is the time to set aside everything and everyone else. If you're insistent on using this song, fine, but you have a lot of work to do to make it believable, and not a lot of time to do it.”

  
  


“I think this is a very gutsy choice. I like it.” Lilia's wickedly-approving smile was all Sara needed to see to know she'd made the right song choice. “How did you decide to use it?”

“The funny thing is, Mila had picked it, and I'd picked another. We were singing through them at the hotel last night and we both came to the conclusion that we'd done those types of songs already and needed to take a risk. She suggested we switch songs, and when I did this one I had so much fun with it. It's a bit out of my comfort zone, but I like that about it.”

“That is _exactly_ what I want to hear from all of you!” Lilia replied, punctuating it with a pointed finger in Sara's direction. “Playing things safe at this point only shows that you want to do the minimum to get through. You want to show people everything you can do, and right now is the time to do it. I have been telling everyone this: Sing as if it is the last time you will ever do it. Because there are no more second chances. The top twelve will be decided with this showcase, and you have to prove to the judges why you deserve to be there. With this song, you will most definitely do that.”

  
  


“At first I was a little skeptical of this choice, but I think it shows off a different side of you that we weren't expecting. I like it. It's a little risky I'll give you that, but at the same time right in your wheelhouse.”

Leo had run through his song with Takeshi and the band and was now taking feedback from the musical director. He'd still been a bit uncertain about it even though the song was one of his favorites, and was now feeling better about it after going through it with the band.

“The full arrangement with all the music made me feel better about it,” Leo replied. “Messing with it with just the keyboard made it feel really sparse but the full band makes a huge difference.”

“Are you still worried about it?” Takeshi asked.

“A bit. I kind of know I'll get some criticism for part of the song because of the vocal element involved, but I feel like if I don't take some kind of risk I'll be out. But I don't have a whole lot of experience so doing something way different than what I know will probably not go too well. So this is the biggest stretch I'm comfortable with.”

“It's important to know your limits, especially at this stage of the game. I do think you make it work so I feel like if this is what you're comfortable with, then stay with it. Half of this game is confidence, and if you feel good about a song, that will come across in your delivery and count just as much as your voice and performance. There's plenty of “created” artists that pull off mediocre work convincingly. But you're a talented kid, and this is a good song with a positive message. It fits you and if you put that out there heart and soul, I think you'll be okay.”

  
  


Lilia had just listened to Mila's song choice, and was quite impressed with what she'd heard.

“This is an excellent choice. You have a very strong voice and we have seen that, but this subtlety, this sensitivity, is what we also need to see from you and this is the perfect song to do it with.”

“My other song didn't feel quite right. Well, it was right for me, but it was something in line with what I'd already done. You have to show all sides of yourself to appeal to everyone and you have to be versatile to stand out,” Mila replied.

“Absolutely. Sara told me you and she switched songs. So Sara was going to do this originally, and you were going to do hers?”

“Yes. And we both sounded good, but we both knew the choices were safe. We both knew and liked the other's song, so we said 'let's switch and see what happens' and they sounded even better when we did that. It was like a light went on over both our heads.”

“That's because it did. You are both very smart. You know what you need to do and you see it before anyone has to tell you. That is very important and will continue to be if both of you want to be in this competition for a while.”

  
  


“Dude. _Dude._ Yes. This is _exactly_ what you need to do! I'm feeling this big time!”

Takeshi and the band had just run through Otabek's song with him, and even the other band members were excited about what they'd seen and heard.

“This is one of my favorite songs. My parents were big fans of this band so I have heard this song a lot over the years. I've always related to it because I always wanted to achieve big things with music, but it is difficult from where I come from to reach out. I thought about saving it for later in the competition, but we might not have the chance to do songs like this depending on the themes. So I figure if I want to make it to that point at all, I have to do what they are telling me and really push myself.”

“I think you've got the right idea and I don't think they'll have any objections this time,” Takeshi said. “My only thought is that you need to put this passion for the song and relationship you have to it out there on a physical level too. Your voice is conveying emotion the rest of you isn't. But you'll work on performance with Emil at tomorrow's runthrough, so I think we have time to fine tune it all.”

  
  


“It is obvious to me that this song hits you very hard for some reason. But I think utilizing those emotions will be very valuable.”

Christophe had just finished performing his song for Lilia, and was taking a moment to compose himself as it finished.

“What is it about this song that is so meaningful to you?” Lilia continued once Christophe had settled down, though his demeanor still spoke of emotions pulled to the surface.

“The person I'm seeing is a bit hesitant about some things, for their own reasons. We've been sort of on and off for a while, but things started getting more serious just recently, and then I had to leave him to come here. He feels he should step aside so I can continue to pursue my dreams, but I want him to be part of them. He feels he's not good enough for me but he is. So that's where I am coming from with this. Aside from needing to do a different type of song, I wanted to do this for him. So it's coming from a very different place than my other song choices thus far.”

“The most sincere performances are the ones that will win people over, even if the portrayal of the song isn't on point, but you also have that as well,” Lilia pointed out. “We already know you can execute higher energy songs well, but this vulnerability is, I think, what will be the last thing that brings those who are on the fence about you to your side. There is confidence in your body and self, and that is sexy. But being confident enough to open up like this is just as sexy and beautiful, and I think you have come to understand that.”

  
  


Kenjirou was still bouncing around the stage after his runthrough, having had a blast with his song choice. The band members were all highly amused, laughing at his hyperness.

“Well I don't think you could have picked a song more perfect for you,” Takeshi said. “Is all that energy you or have you downed a couple of Red Bulls today?”

“Nah this is me,” Kenjirou said. “I've always wanted to do this song and I figure this is the best time to. You have to pull in an audience and get them hyper with you and I think this song will do that.”

“Oh definitely, especially with your delivery. Just be careful to not get too crazy during, or your vocal performance will suffer.”

  
  


Guang Hong had just finished his song with only piano accompaniment, and Lilia was having reservations about what he'd chosen.

“It may be because this song isn't suited for a piano accompaniment, but I find the vocal line a bit too erratic. Your falsetto is impressive and we haven't seen a lot of it, but there is something missing for me. You have excellent vocal control though, so I think the version with the full band will probably do it that much more justice.”

Guang Hong was feeling a bit shy about speaking his own opinion, so he chose his words carefully in the presence of the famous opera diva. “I do think it's missing something with the piano. It was even a little hard to sing this way, but I understand you're listening to my voice first, so that makes sense. I do have a little trouble going from the low to the high parts because I haven't done it a lot. Do you have any advice for me on that, ma'am?” he asked.

The corners of Lilia's mouth turned up into a soft smile then; she had always appreciated when a singer of any age could recognize their limits, but it was that much more impressive in one so young. “The transition is difficult for even a seasoned singer, and can be hard on the voice as well. We do not have a lot of time, but I can show you an exercise that will help you feel what it should be like physically, and that will help you understand what it is you need to do and how to breathe for it. You are very close to doing it correctly, so I think you will learn it well enough to at least help you for this performance. Then you can master it from there.”

  
  


“I don't know... aside from your group song, all of your other solo songs have been in this vein. Are you sure you want to go forward with this?”

Ketty had just finished her song and was sitting at the extra keyboard on the stage, facing Takeshi now as he evaluated her performance.

“I've always been this type of artist. I mostly play in coffeehouses and stuff, and most of my musical idols are female singer-songwriters. It's what I do best,” she replied.

“I'm just concerned because if the group round showed us anything, it's that you _can_ do different stuff when you're pressed to. I think you should learn to stretch yourself outside of when other circumstances warrant it.”

“I... I guess I just know what kind of artist I want to be,” Ketty said.

“The thing about this too is that if you make it to the live shows, each week will have its own theme, and it will be something that not everyone in the top 12 will be able to pull off. That's the challenge. You'll have to do it whether you want to or not. That you can do it was proven in the group rounds. But I'm not sure if this song will get you to the next round,” Takeshi said.

“I don't know if I have a lot of time to change it now, I'm most comfortable with this,” Ketty said, her tone not entirely convincing that what she was saying was true; Takeshi recognized the underlying stubbornness. “I'll see if I can change things up a bit, and take my chances. I'd rather do something I'm comfortable with so doing the opposite doesn't get me eliminated.”

  
  


Once all of the contestants had their sessions with both Lilia and Takeshi, they went to the rehearsal rooms opened up for their use to practice for a while in spaces where hotel guests wouldn't be disturbed. It was still a bit difficult to work things out as the 24 remaining had to share rooms, but most had kept to the friend groups they'd already made so it worked out as well as it could.

Phichit, Yuri, Sara and Leo had found one smaller space that had a keyboard and a Bluetooth speaker for connecting their phone for music track backup available, and each had run through their songs with the performance notes they'd received in mind. Yuri had just finished his song and noticed Phichit staring at him with a thoughtful, pensive expression. Leo and Sara had left for a few moments to get a snack so the pair of best friends found themselves temporarily alone.

“The song sounds great but you sound tight,” Phichit observed.

Yuri let out a hard sigh. “I'm just... I'm still worried about the performance. It's just...”

“Too much like the recital?”

“Yeah. I mean... I go back and forth. I felt pretty confident about it all day, especially with the feedback from Madame Lilia and Takeshi. But now that I have time to just think about the show itself...”

“You have to get out of your own head. This is an entirely different situation,” Phichit said. “You've come this far and everything you've done people have loved. You did a song for your first performance here that was far more vulnerable than this one. You can do this Yuri. I know you can.”

“I know I can too! That's the problem. I know I can pull this off but I'm just... scared. And I don't know why.”

“The past is in the past. You've grown a lot stronger since then. What went wrong then isn't going to happen now. You've got this.”

Yuri was about to respond when both were stopped in their tracks by the sound of someone singing in the room across the hall. The sound of a controlled rock scream that almost akin to some kind of war cry rang through the corridor; Leo and Sara had just been walking back into the door of the practice room with coffees for everyone in tow and stopped as well, eyes going wide.

“Was that... who I think it was?” Sara said.

“I... think it was,” Phichit said.

“Holy _shit,”_ Leo half-laughed, shaking his head.

Yuri smirked. He'd known about the person's song choice, but this was the first time he'd heard any hints of it. “Yeah... I still don't think any of us really stand a chance. I'm pretty sure we all know who's going to win this thing.”

Sara sat down on one of the chairs in the room, shaking her head as well. “Yeah,” she laughed. “We're all pretty much screwed!”

  
  


**Hollywood Week, Day 6: Styling and Final Performance Mentoring**

After a very long night during which practice continued for several of the contestants once the top 24 had returned to the hotel, there were many sleepy faces in the group as they rode the bus not to the Civic Center, but to the studio of one of the biggest fashion designers of the moment, Georgi Popovich. He had been pulling outfits for the remaining contestants to put their best appearances on for the show on Saturday and as they all assembled in the front lobby of the pristine studio, there was definitely a mix of excitement and ambivalence, with some contestants murmuring about not wanting to be changed too much.

Victor was looking forward to the styling session, having had a few over the years for the random modeling jobs he'd picked up in Saint Petersburg. But his choreographer friend had told him Georgi was probably the best possible option the show could have chosen, as his styling for anything he was involved in was always on point. The fact that Georgi was a Saint Petersburg native was also helpful; Victor didn't find himself missing his hometown so much as the interactions with people of like minds and as such, was taking any opportunities to not only make friends, but connections as well – and Georgi would definitely be a good one to have in his corner going forward.

As Georgi's assistant Anya came out to get the first two contestants, Victor looked across the room to where Yuri and Phichit were sitting in a corner. Victor had sought out Yuri the night before to see how he was doing, but Phichit had informed him that Yuri had taken his keyboard into the conference room suite with his headphones and didn't want to be disturbed. Victor had gone down to the suite only to find Yuri wasn't in the main room, but had gone into one of the secondary rooms off of it, closing the door; when Victor had knocked, Yuri hadn't answered. He'd listened outside the door for a bit and heard Yuri running through the lyrics to his song and the sound of his hands on keys that were silent due to being run through Yuri's headphones, and finally gave up when he realized the Japanese man was in his own little bubble. When Yuri had seemed closed off that morning, including sitting near the back of the shuttle bus with Phichit, earbuds in place, that too had only caused Victor's unease to grow.

Now Yuri had made no effort to initiate small talk and seemed withdrawn, keeping to only speaking with Phichit. Victor tried to fight down the feeling he was being pushed away, that something had happened that had put a strain between the two of them, but he couldn't think of anything that had gone wrong between their friendly conversation before they'd begun the mentoring sessions the day before and now. Yuri hadn't even given Victor the chance to sit with him on the bus returning the previous night either, and seeing him now with his best friend, opening up to him even though it was common sense that he would, stung Victor more than it should.

“Tough nut to crack, hm?” Victor was in such a state about the situation that Christophe's well-meaning, friendly jab made Victor bristle.

“Whoa there. Just an observation,” Christophe replied at Victor's resulting angry glare; the Swiss man's reaction snapped Victor out of his mini-funk.

“Sorry. It's just... I thought I'd made some progress getting through to him. It seemed like we were getting closer, and now he's acting like we haven't even met.”

“Is this really what you should be worried about right now though?” Christophe asked.

“I just don't like accidentally pushing people away. The sad part is it seems to happen a lot. People are either intimidated by me, or think I'm an egotistical asshole.”

“Well I can see the intimidation to be honest. Darling I heard you rehearsing yesterday. _Everyone_ should be intimidated,” Christophe said.

Victor's attention was diverted when Yuri and Phichit were called back for their styling session. “I'm sure everyone feels that way but it's just a song. I'm playing it smart by doing something I'm familiar with but at the same time, it might be too obvious and safe.”

“Regardless. I'm sure it's all about the pressure right now. Tomorrow is going to be a pretty big day,” Christophe noted. “Just let him work through whatever he's got going on and I'm sure you two lovebirds will be fine.”

Victor's head swiveled to look Christophe in the eyes. “We're _not_ lovebirds. Nowhere near it.”

Christophe winked, punctuating it with a laugh. “Yet.”

  
  


“Hello boys! Welcome, welcome. I'm so excited to meet you both!”

Phichit and Yuri were immediately taken with Georgi Popovich. They'd expected a pompous, egotistical fashion designer, but Phichit had made a murmured note to Yuri when Georgi had turned around to pull their outfits that he reminded Phichit more of Christian Siriano than Marc Jacobs. The exuberant, slightly eccentric designer seemed to be having the time of his life and as he came forward along with Anya with the pieces he'd pulled for them, Yuri was certain Georgi couldn't be grinning any more if he'd tried.

“Now. I think both of you can rock the sexy casual look very well. You see, it's not always about throwing everything out there when you're trying to be sexy. In fact, _trying_ to be is where it all goes wrong. The best way to do it is to highlight your best features, and then own it.” He handed the set of pieces for Phichit to him first, then Yuri's to him. “Now let's see if we have to make any nips or tucks on these. Yuri, you're smaller than I anticipated, so I will definitely need to check your fit.”

Both men went behind their respective changing screens then. Yuri carefully hung his pieces from the hooks on the screen's frame, then began to change. The black skinny jeans seemed fine – thankfully there was a bit of stretch, because he hadn't really lost his dancer's butt since he'd kept up with it for exercise – and the black cotton button down shirt was understated while being just different enough from his normal wardrobe choices to stand out. Yuri mused that Georgi must have been given the surveys they'd done which gave some insight to their personalities, because the last piece of the outfit was a deep indigo distressed denim vest, one of Yuri's favorite colors. He slipped on the black patent leather combat-style boots and appraised himself in the mirror, finding that he was pretty comfortable with the look. As he stepped out Phichit came out from behind the other screen and Yuri had to grin at his friend, who was dressed in chocolate brown faux-leather pants and a loose-fitting red shirt with gold accents, which looked rather rock-star-like on him.

“Yessss! Perfection!” Georgi grinned. “Those colors are wonderful on you Phichit. I really think you'll stand out. How do you feel?”

“I love it!” Phichit grinned. “It's a bit more flashy than I'm used to, but it's great for the stage.”

“Anya will take you over there for a bit of makeup, and we'll get a picture of the finished look for tomorrow,” Georgi said; Anya smiled and motioned for Phichit to follow her over to a makeup station she had set up a little bit away.

“Yuri, this looks great!” Georgi grinned. “How do you feel in it?”

“Kind of dressed up,” he said. “Well, for me this is dressy. It feels special.”

“Well that's the point of fashion, to feel good!” Georgi smiled. “Though I think there's something... not missing, but I feel like there's something else styling-wise we can do here.” He paused then, resting his chin on a hand, the other arm crossed over his torso as he seemed to be thinking.

Anya had just finished applying some expertly-winged eyeliner to Phichit's already expressive eyes, causing him to grin with delight, when she looked over at Yuri as the Japanese man appraised himself in the mirrors.

“I've got it,” she said, walking over. “How comfortable are you without your glasses?” she asked.

“I can make out stuff but I'm super nearsighted,” Yuri replied. “But I was thinking of taking them off for the performance just to look a bit different.” Yuri felt a little bad about the white lie but decided to keep the rest to himself.

“Hm... If that's the case then... can you take them off for a second?” she asked.

“Sure,” Yuri replied, removing them. Anya then went behind Yuri and with both hands, she reached around and smoothed his hair back off of his face.

“Oh. _Oh._ Yes. That's it. That is _perfection!_ ” Georgi cried. “Look at you! Look. At. You! This beautiful face cannot be hidden! We definitely need to go with this look!!”

Anya had gone back to her styling station, returning with a bit of hair gel which she smoothed through Yuri's hair, then combed it back in place. “I'll do it much better on performance day, but this will give us a good idea,” she said. “Yes, this is great. You look completely different, but in a good way. Transforming for the stage sometimes helps a performer get into their work much more.”

Something about those words struck a chord in Yuri. He noted bashfully that he had to walk closer to the full-length mirror to see himself clearly and when he did, he had to admit he looked pretty damn good... and it might just be the distraction he needed.

“Yuri, oh my _god_ you look so hot!” Phichit cried as he came over; Yuri squinted to see Phichit's face better, then put his glasses on when that failed.

“Wait. _Wait._ Yuri, let me see you,” Georgi said as he caught sight of Yuri in the mirror, and when Yuri turned to him with his glasses and slicked-back hair, Georgi nearly jumped through the roof; Anya's eyes went wide as well.

“Oh dear god, every person in that room is going to fall in love with you!” Georgi cried. “I stand corrected. The glasses will stay on, but Anya can work some magic on your eyes to make them pop. This... just might be my favorite makeover I've ever done. We've gone from boy next door to boy with “rawr” in two easy steps.”

“Now you just have to own it,” Anya said. “If you feel sexy, act like it! You already have the talent to back it up, Yuri. It didn't take much for us to help you shine, so it's already there in you. Work it!”

Phichit wrapped his arm around Yuri's shoulder as his best friend blushed out bright red, causing both Georgi and Anya to break into laughter and Anya to add in an “awwww”. “I've been telling him this forever! I'm starting to think that this whole experience is going to bring the real Yuri Katsuki out of hiding once and for all.”

  
  


Once all the styling sessions were done the contestants were shuttled over to the Troubadour for their final full-band runthrough and performance mentoring. Victor and Christophe had elected to sit together on the bus, and Victor was happy about it. Yuri had still been acting aloof and was keeping to Phichit, and Victor hadn't had much time to really connect with Christophe though he'd wanted to, so for now, the situation was working out well.

“So this kid that they picked as a performance mentor... do they realize most of the contestants are older than him?” Christophe wondered as they watched the streets of LA go by on the roughly 30-minute ride back from Georgi's studios.

“I honestly don't think age has a lot to do with it, but then again, in Russia so many of the people who are in the performing arts or started out very young. Some of our best athletes have won Olympic gold before they were out of their teens and had been doing what they did for a decade already. It's all about your level of talent. I'm pretty familiar with Emil's group, several of my younger ballet students were into them. They're actually pretty talented. From what I understand they all play instruments, though they don't get to onstage. And the kid can dance like someone twice his age. His voice is pretty strong too. There's a reason he's had such a huge solo career. He's one of the biggest pop stars out there right now.”

“I guess you're right... but I've already heard irritated mumblings from some of the contestants. I hope this kid has a thick skin, because I'm sure he'll get some shit today.”

“He seems pretty level-headed from the interviews I've seen. I think he can take it,” Victor said. “I'm of the mind that anyone who's already made it in this industry has something to teach us. Never discount anyone just because they don't seem to be someone you'd normally learn from. Anyone can be the person who gives you that one bit of information or inspiration that changes everything.”

“You're such a man of the world, Victor Nikiforov,” Christophe grinned.

Victor snorted in response. “Hardly. I just know if you want to achieve your goals, you have to be open-minded. I know I'll have to do music I'm not necessarily interested in if I make it to the live shows, but you have to put up with a lot to make it. I'm willing to do that, and anyone who isn't probably won't get too far.”

The bus arrived at the Troubadour and the contestants were ushered into the performance area to find the house band for the show all set up on the stage, which was rather small compared to what they'd been working on at the Civic Center. As they filed in, Yuri looked up at a sign that stated the capacity of the room: 500 max. There would be no margin for error in a place this small; if you were going to go down in flames, everyone was going to notice. Just like that, in the space of a few moments the confidence boost Yuri had gotten at the styling session earlier evaporated, and he began to feel apprehensive again. The atmosphere was quite different than the recital hall that still loomed large in his mind; the Troubadour was standing only, the room more laid back, with a balcony where probably half of the audience would be watching from. Memorabilia hung from the wood-trimmed walls, giving the place a homey feel.

“All right everyone,” Takeshi said into the microphone. “You all got notes from Lilia and I yesterday, and now we're going to go through your songs once more for one more critique and soundcheck. This time though, we have the assistance of the show's in-house mentor. Get to know this guy because you're going to be seeing a lot of him if you make it to the live shows. Please welcome to the stage, former lead voice of the multi-platinum, internationally-known boy band Anastasis, Emil Nekola!”

Both Yuri and Phichit were quite familiar with Anastasis; they had been fans in their younger days and Phichit still somewhat followed Emil's career as a solo artist. As such, both men had a bit of a fanboy moment as the young pop star walked out onto the stage, looking much more casual than his onstage persona would let on in simple jeans, a white t-shirt and black leather biker jacket.

“Hello everyone,” Emil said into the microphone. “I've been looking forward to meeting you all. I think from what I have seen when I've been spying on you guys during the first few rounds from the balcony at the Civic Center that some of you really won't need much input. But I'll try to be as helpful as I can so all of you can do your best tomorrow. We have a lot to get through today, so let's get moving shall we?”

The contestants were allowed to stand in the audience pit then as each performer took the stage in turn, running through their songs and then receiving feedback from Emil. As they looked on, Otabek and Yura observed the interactions with Emil and were appraising the contestants' chances accordingly.

“Some of the older ones seem to think he's another Justin Bieber,” Otabek noted. “He's really not. He's got a classically-trained voice and took modern dance. He just got a chance to break into the business doing something different.”

“Yeah. Just like all of us are now,” Yura noted. “I was never into the boy band thing but I've heard of him. His solo stuff is kind of more rock isn't it?”

“Yeah. I've used it in my DJ sets along with Anastasis stuff. He knows his shit. Sure his type of music and performance may not be your thing but he's going to know what will work when you get onstage.” Otabek was interrupted with his name being called by Takeshi for him to come to the stage. He and Yura shared a thumbs up, with Yura offering a “davai” before Otabek went up.

“Hello Otabek,” Emil said with a smile. “I am excited to hear your song, this is one of my favorite bands.”

“Who doesn't like them?” Otabek said. “They're legends.”

“Absolutely! Now, let's see what you've got,” Emil replied, taking a cue from Seung Gil to keep the banter outside of critique short. The band then went into Otabek's song and as soon as he began to sing, the rest of the contestants below stopped and took notice.

“Whoa. Where is this coming from?” Sara said to Mila as his performance went on.

“He was struggling with a song choice because he kept wanting to do simple stuff. Victor suggested this song and when he played with it a bit, it sounded great,” Mila replied. “This seems to be bringing him out of his shell and he really needs that right now.”

“For sure. I get that it can be hard to open up when you're not used to doing it, so hopefully this does that for him,” Sara replied; she joined in the enthusiastic cheers and applause from the contestants when Otabek finished.

“I like it!” Emil said to him. “I think you nailed the vocals well. You just really need to learn to use the stage more. You're moving but you're not _working_ it. It will be easier too when we have a packed house, there will be people to bounce off of. But from what you told me about why you chose this, what I want you to do is convey in your vocal that excitement. 'I am finally finding the path to my dreams, to get out of the situation I'm in that I'm singing about now. And this is how I'm feeling about it.”

Otabek took in the direction, nodding as he listened. “This has been the hardest thing for me. I've always been... kind of serious about everything I do. I want to be the best at it and I want to learn how to be.”

“But you can get serious about having fun!” Emil said. “Performing is a lot of work, but the key is to make it _look_ like it's not. You can be serious about what you do while having a blast doing it. Let yourself go! Again, when we have the audience that will help. And this song is so iconic, this place will be rockin' out. Feed off of it, go with the crowd. Don't be afraid of that.”

Otabek nodded then, and both men turned toward Seung Gil as he motioned with his hand the signal to “wrap it up”. Otabek shook Emil's hand, thanking him before he left the stage.

The performance mentoring moved rather quickly, keeping the pace that the actual show would for the most part. There were a few moments of tension as a couple of the remaining contestants that were older decided this was the perfect time to snark about Emil being a “boybander” and questioning exactly what he could teach them they didn't already know. Victor found himself facepalming in secondhand embarrassment for them; being cocky always backfired in his experience. The younger contestants who were familiar with Emil were shaking their heads or rolling their eyes in response.

Not all of the contestants resistant to Emil's advice were older, however. JJ had taken to the stage as one of the last performers of the day and had begun to play his very quiet, reserved song, one that was even more subdued than the one he'd done for the Sudden Death round. As he sang he saw the furrowed brows and confused looks from some of the other contestants, and convinced himself that they just weren't getting the subtlety or the deep meaning of the song to him. About halfway through some of them even lost interest, a few looking at their phones or chatting with each other, which hadn't happened with the greater majority of the other performances.

Emil stepped forward when he finished, weighing his words carefully. “I... I don't know how much of an impact this song is going to make, to be honest, JJ,” he began. “You sing it beautifully, but I feel like you should really be packing a punch right now. This is a do or die performance.”

“I know that,” JJ snapped, trying to push down the doubts about it he had begun to have after seeing just about everyone else, especially Yuri and Victor, perform, the latter of which had blown the roof off the place while claiming to be holding back to preserve his voice for the next day. “But I feel if I put this forward with enough conviction it will still be a great performance. The judges wanted to see more of this from me.”

“That's true. But at the same time, there's a time and a place for an understated performance, and I'm not sure this is it, especially when your previous one was in the same vein. I think you are going to have to be extremely convincing to pull this off, and because it's just you and a guitar, it's going to have to be absolutely perfect vocally. You had a bit of an issue with those falsetto bits, and that's going to stand out without a full band behind you. You'll want to practice on those a bit more and make sure to drink a lot of water before your performance. No coffee, because that will dry out your vocal cords and make it harder to hit those notes.”

“Okay, fine. I knew all that but thanks for the tip,” JJ said, standing up as Seung Gil called time on his segment. Below in the pit, many of the contestants were watching with eyebrows raised or shaking their heads. Yuri however, was seeing something entirely different.

“He's terrified,” he noted to Phichit. “He knows he should have picked something different but it's like he's really hating being wrong right now.”

“I think he's attached to the song in some way and doesn't want to let it go. But sometimes being sentimental isn't what is going to work for you,” Phichit replied as they watched JJ leave the stage, hurrying to the back where he packed up his guitar and went into the front lobby instead of staying for the last few performances.

“I mean... I get being nervous,” Yuri said. “But adding to the situation by being stubborn isn't going to help it pan out. I just really hope he can pull it off, because it would suck for him to go home for a song that obviously means so much to him.”

“Yeah,” Phichit said as the next performer began. “This is all getting so much harder, because the more we get to know each other, the more you don't want everyone to fail.”

Yuri nodded, JJ's performance having given him some perspective on his own and helping him to calm for the moment. “Yeah... tomorrow is going to be tough in more ways than one. Only half of us will still be here by tomorrow evening, and I feel like there's going to be some serious drama tomorrow at the eliminations.”

  
  


**Hollywood Week, Day 7: Troubadour Showcase**

The timing of the event at the Troubadour the next day was akin to that of a matinee, with performances beginning at 3 pm. The lobby call for the final 24 contestants was 11 am, which amounted to sleeping in after a week of 7 am call times. Everyone had seemed to retire early the night before, taking advantage of the much-needed rest, as the entire floor had been quiet by midnight after several more hours of hotel room practice sessions once they'd returned from the mentoring and soundcheck.

But as the bus headed through the streets of LA on its way to the venue, Victor noticed the definite feeling of tension hanging over the contestants. Many were listening to music with earbuds, presumably their songs; there was only very light murmurs of conversation as the bus continued on its way. This was it. After today, they would know who the final twelve contestants that would compete in front of the world would be.

As he leaned against the window, mind wandering as he tried to calm his swirling emotions, Yuri closed his eyes against the morning sun on his face. He and Phichit had spent a lot of time talking the night before, and he was now pretty certain that this performance was far more important than the recital had ever been. There was no starting over after this to work toward the same goal again. If he or Phichit were cut today, they would go back to Detroit, to what they'd both hoped to get free of. Both knew that their chosen career paths would be difficult, and this would be a helpful boost, but without it, they would fade back into the world of the unknown as most of the contestants who had been cut would after their 15 minutes of exposure on the broadcasts of Hollywood Week in January. They would gain fans, followers on social media, and likely be forgotten when they didn't make it to the live shows, as so many from other talent shows had.

Yuri was determined to not let that happen. Now, he only hoped he could overcome the anxiety his performance was causing him to get there.

The bus stopped in front of the venue and everyone filed out, heading into the lobby and waiting for instructions. With a bit over three hours to showtime, there was hair, makeup and wardrobe to get through, vocal warmups with Lilia and a final meeting with Takeshi and Emil backstage before the 500 lucky fans who'd been chosen by lottery from those who'd purchased tickets to the live shows arrived.

The contestants were broken up into groups of six and distributed accordingly, with Phichit and Yuri finding themselves grouped with Otabek, Yura, Kenjirou and Ketty. Phichit, Yuri and Kenjirou went to hair and makeup with Anya and her team, with their three companions being sent to Georgi and his assistants for wardrobe. Victor found himself in a group that was sent to vocal warmups with Lilia that was made up of contestants he hadn't really gotten to know, including one that appeared to be interested in trash talking the Russian's “poser rocker facade”. Used to such ribbing from the cesspool known as the YouTube comments section Victor ignored him, recognizing nerves coming to the surface for those not secure in their own performances as the culprit for the attempts at tension.

Yura, Mila and Sara found themselves with three other contestants they'd only associated with in passing for physical warmups with Emil that included dance stretches and breathing exercises to help with tension, followed by a pep talk meant to inspire the performers. He seemed to remember points about everyone and made note of things he'd mulled over from the mentoring sessions the day before to each of them. Chris, JJ, Sara, Mila, Leo and Guang Hong were sent to run through bits of their songs for the purpose of one last sound check. When each group finished with where they'd been assigned, everyone rotated until all the contestants had been attended to.

By the time all the contestants were warmed up, primped and ready, it was 2 pm and the doors of the Troubadour were opened. As everyone milled about backstage, some continuing vocal warmups or physical ones, some immersing themselves in their phones, Phichit succumbed to the overwhelming urge to take a peek out of the stage door. The place was filling up quickly, the floor already packed and people beginning to file into the balcony as well. The judges' table had been set up stage front, a barrier around it so the audience stayed a bit back; it featured four chairs as Emil would be joining them to observe, presumably for his continued mentoring of the final 12.

Yuri knew better. He shouldn't have done it, but his curiosity got the better of him when he saw Phichit, who had been joined by Mila, peering out of the door, their observations obscured from the people on the floor by the band's equipment and going unnoticed by those in the balcony. Despite it, Yuri felt like if he had a feel for the crowd, it would be easier to handle. But as he looked out between Mila and Phichit, he immediately realized upon seeing the sea of faces, even though it wasn't all that much that it had been a mistake.

He pulled back from the door and spun around, heading back into the dressing room area, then retreating to the men's room. Heading into a stall he slammed the door shut and latched it, then sat down on the toilet seat cover, gasping for air. He really wished he could call Mari, even though he knew she'd be asleep with the time difference, but the contestants had been allowed to keep their phones with the good faith that they wouldn't post spoilers or contact family who might accidentally spill the beans on the parts of the show that would be pre-recorded when broadcast. Everything felt conflicting to him at that moment: He wanted to cry, but Anya had spent so much time on making his eyes pop through his glasses he didn't want to mess up her work; he wanted to find Phichit and vent to him, but he didn't want to upset his friend and give him any chance to miss his own shot. He felt himself hyperventilating and wanted to find a paper bag, but he didn't want anyone to see him freaking out.

Yuri had been so withdrawn into himself, however, that he hadn't heard someone enter the men's room, nor did he notice the shadow as the man came near. So it was that much more startling when suddenly the door of the stall came flying inward with the sound of a hard kick, narrowly missing Yuri's legs as he swiveled on the seat to move them out of the way. When he looked up, Yura, whom he hadn't really spoken to, was standing in the doorway.

“Are you _crying?_ ” Yura growled. “Seriously? What the fuck do you have to cry about?”

“I'm not crying!” Yuri replied; he'd managed to not full out bawl, but there were tears on his cheeks despite his best efforts.

“Whatever that is it looks like crying to me. Anyway I don't know what your problem is, your ass is already a Chosen One. People everywhere online are already talking about you maybe winning and they haven't even seen Hollywood Week yet. But if you want to give up, fine. We don't need two Yuris in the top twelve. It will be too confusing. So go ahead and fall apart, loser. It will be better for me.”

“YURA. GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM HIM.”

Yura spun around at the voice that, in Yuri's state, he didn't recognize on top of the fact that the man was bellowing angrily. The realization hit suddenly however as the conversation turned to heated Russian for a few minutes; finally, the door to the men's room swung open and slammed shut. Yuri thought he was alone until he heard footsteps coming to the stall, the door of which was left open and damaged from being forced open while latched. He was both relieved and unnerved more as Victor's face appeared in the doorway.

“Yuri, god, I'm so sorry. That kid has been annoying as fuck the last couple of days. Come on out, he's gone,” he said, his tone gentle. After a few moments Yuri rose, stepping out before Victor.

“Hey. I'm not going to ask if you're okay because you're obviously not,” Victor said.

“I... Georgi said I should keep my glasses on. I don't think I can,” Yuri randomly blurted out.

Victor was only taken aback for a second before sensing he needed to roll with it. “Okay, that's fine Yuri. You don't always have to do what they say. It's a minor thing, it won't matter.”

Outside, the crowd suddenly began to roar as the muffled yet loud voice of Hisashi Morooka began to speak over the PA, welcoming everyone to the show and then introducing the judges.

“When are you performing?” Victor asked Yuri.

“I think I'm fourth from last,” Yuri said.

“Okay. You've got time to calm down. Everything's going to be fine. Think about your mentoring. What did Lilia say?”

“She... said I need to open up, to let myself go more. But that my voice was really good and I was using it properly,” Yuri said. “I... don't know if I can really let go though, I'm too afraid to mess up.”

“It's not something you can always specifically do. You have to let it happen on its own. And what did Takeshi say?”

“I...” Yuri blushed then. “The band gave me a standing ovation.”

“See? You know what you're doing. You can do this Yuri. I have the utmost faith in that.”

“Really?” Yuri felt something within him melt then. For some reason, even though so many had said those same words to him – not the least of which was Phichit – coming from Victor, they felt different somehow.

Victor placed a hand on each of Yuri's shoulders then. “Absolutely. You're crazy talented Yuri. You've totally got this.”

Yuri wasn't sure where his next impulses, both actions and words, came from, but at this point, reacting to the emotions Victor's words had brought up in him was more important. He suddenly reached out, wrapping his arms around Victor's shoulders, gripping him tightly; Victor wrapped his arms around him in response.

“You... you'll watch, right?” Yuri asked, his tone plaintive. “Promise?”

Something in Victor's own heart broke at that moment. The impulse to say _who wouldn't watch you?_ was overwhelming, but he knew this wasn't the place or time. Instead, he held Yuri gently, tipping his head in a bit to rest against the other man's.

“Of course I will. I wouldn't miss it for the world.” He pulled back then with a soft smile. “Especially since that outfit was a perfect choice. You look absolutely stunning.”

Yuri felt his insides melt even more, and returned Victor's soft smile with one of his own. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Victor smiled back. Outside, the first contestant was being introduced; a few moments later, the band broke into the first song.

“One thing that always helps me focus are vocal warmups. We both have a while to wait before we go on, so we have to keep our throats open. Let's go do that,” Victor said, keeping one arm wrapped around Yuri's shoulders as they headed for the door.

Yuri wrapped his arm around Victor's waist as he followed along. “Sounds good to me,” he replied.

  
  


The first few contestants had already performed and the crowd was already into it, cheering loudly and singing along to the songs. At the judges' table, Yakov, Celestino and Minako had watched, offering short opinions but not offering full-on critiques; that would be reserved for the eliminations later on. Hisashi had been introducing the contestants, and came out onstage to continue to move the show along.

“Our next performer came to us by way of her audition in Rome, Italy, where she impressed our judges and gained an immediate following. She's been showing us an incredible range and is growing into a very engaging artist. Performing “Can't Rely On You” by Paloma Faith, here is Sara Crispino!

Sara came out as the band started into the funky beat of the song, bantering a bit to the crowd then starting into the song with a soulful voice that immediately caused all three judges' eyebrows to raise. By the first chorus, Sara was belting full out, hitting the high note in the second line of it flawlessly. She began to respond to the vibe of the song, moving along the stage sexily and flirting with the audience that were closest to the stage on either end as she covered the small performance area well. During the change of the song she bantered via the lyrics with the band, who responded in kind; as they headed into the final chorus Sara let out a wail of a run that absolutely no one expected, causing the crowd to erupt in screams and cheers. Takeshi was practically dancing in place as they ended the song with Sara pretty much holding the room in the palm of her hand.

Yura was up after one contestant in between, and even Celestino was surprised as the teen walked out in an outfit that was relatively subdued for him in that it included no clashing animal prints; instead he was dressed in simple, dark indigo jeans, black high top sneakers, and a red t-shirt with a black studded hoodie over it. He started into his song, “She Will Be Loved” by Maroon 5, the room settling down to listen, and immediately everyone was drawn in as a voice that had been hidden under Yura's hard rock song choices emerged. Clear and steady on the notes with a hint of vibrato in the high notes of the chorus, by the second verse the uncharacteristically vulnerable performance seemed to sit better with the teen as he gained confidence. Moving about the stage and emoting in a way that finally seemed natural for him, it was clear he was feeling the song on some level, and by the final verse he seemed to be relating in some way to lyrics as his delivery became completely sincere and genuine. He left the stage seeming a bit raw after the short round of notes from the judges, which were overwhelmingly positive.

“Next up we have one of the only American singers left in the competition,” Morooka continued. “He's decided to show a bit of a different side of himself tonight with a song that means a lot to him in a few ways. Hailing from Texas, performing 'Still Alive', here is Leo de la Iglesia!”

Leo began the song with the sensitive first few lines, then as the beat came in he put his hand up and swayed it, catching the audience up in the vibe as they responded with a swaying hand in response with everyone in unison, the sight getting Leo even more hyped up. He began to sing, his voice sounding solid, then suddenly broke into a rap with impressive flow, causing both Celestino and Minako's mouths to drop open and Yakov to sit forward with interest. The song switched back into vocals and Leo handled the transition perfectly, drawing the audience in and again getting their hands to sway as he interacted with them, filling the stage with a personality that he also hadn't shown fully until now. His performance was received with loud cheers and screams and he bounded off the stage beaming from ear to ear, accepting a hug from Phichit.

Seung Gil signaled to Mila to take her place; as she waited for her introduction from Morooka to end, Sara came up to her.

“Good luck. Just remember who let you have this song, bitch,” she grinned, causing Mila to burst out laughing.

“I'll remember if you remember too, bitch!” she shot back, then headed out onto the stage still grinning as she waved to the audience. Her demeanor changed immediately though as she settled into the soul-tinged ballad, “Move You” by Kelly Clarkson, her raspy rock voice fitting perfectly into the emotional melody and lyrics of the song. As the a cappella breakdown of the song came she shifted up an octave and there were audible gasps in the audience and Minako could be seen discreetly wiping away a few tears. Yakov was sitting as far forward in his chair as he could as Mila broke into some spectacularly controlled runs before the final, quiet verse that ended the song, returning to the sensitive melody that began it. The crowd erupted into even louder cheers and screams than they had for Leo as she finished, and as she exited into the backstage area she felt herself get overwhelmed, hugging Sara tightly.

“Up next is our lone remaining Canadian contestant, who is performing the song his parents walked down the aisle to and would like to dedicate to them. Performing 'More Than Words' by Extreme, please welcome Jean-Jacques Leroy!”

JJ walked out onto the stage and took his seat on the wooden stool, settling his acoustic guitar on his leg and beginning to play. The room became hushed as he continued; for the first chorus, one of the band members joined him in doing the accompanying harmony needed to fill out the song, an addition that Takeshi had insisted upon to round out the performance a bit more. JJ handled the falsetto parts well for the most part, but as he became more emotional during the course of the song he began to struggle a bit. He also began to look down more at his guitar than the crowd as he noticed within the focus of performing that some of them farther back from the stage had seemed to become a bit bored, looking down at their phones. He began to sing with more passion as the end of the song came, his voice projecting more before ending with a final flourish on the guitar. He nearly left the stage without receiving his notes from the judges, then took a final bow to modest applause.

In the back room of the dressing area, Victor raised his head as he heard Otabek being introduced. He and Yuri had been keeping their voices warmed up, with Victor especially doing so as the song he had planned was quite taxing.

“I'm after Otabek, there's no one between us,” he said, his tone apologetic. “I better get out there.”

“All right,” Yuri said. “I'll go with you... I definitely don't want to miss your performance. I want to see the judges' faces.”

Victor grinned then as the pair rose from the couch they'd been sitting on. “Let's hope if they're wide-eyes it's for a good reason!” he laughed as they headed to the waiting area.

Onstage, Otabek had gotten the crowd going from the very first riffs of the intro to his song, “Where The Streets Have No Name” by U2, walking around the stage and motioning for the crowd to clap along. The judges' faces were masks of surprise as he went into the first verse, utilizing a higher midrange than he had on his previous song choices. His connection to the lyrics showed immediately as the first chorus saw his voice open up, the passion even beginning to show in his face, the gestures coming naturally as he settled deeper into the feel and meaning of the lyrics. By degrees the crowd began jumping in place and by the second chorus the entire place was jumping in time to the song, hands in the air; in his mind Otabek noted offhandedly that he felt like he he did when he was DJ'ing a rave. He related to the adrenaline rush even more strongly and did exactly what Emil had told him to do and fed off of it, getting more and more excited as he realized the song was connecting as he'd hoped it would. He ended the performance with a fist in the air, breathing heavily from the exertion of running back and forth, soaking in the cheers of the crowd. Backstage, Victor, Mila, and Yura were fistpumping and cheering, happy to see their friend finally tapping into the abilities they'd all known were there.

Morooka was even applauding still as the crowd hadn't yet stopped, finally beginning to quiet as he brought his mic up to speak. “Well, I would be worried about the performer that has to follow that if it weren't the one we have up next. This song is a first for a singing competition as it has never been performed for one before, but if anyone's going to pull that off, it's this Saint Petersburg, Russia native. Performing “Immigrant Song” by Led Zeppelin, give it up for Victor Nikiforov!

Celestino's mouth was already hanging open as Victor bounded onstage to the pulsing guitar riff, stopping on a dime at center stage and letting loose with the highest, most powerful controlled four-note wail he'd done yet, causing the crowd to erupt into wild screams. He performed almost seductively in the first verse, his body moving with the driving beat before he went into the steadily-rising pitch of the pre-chorus to a reprise of the wail. His hips moved with the rhythm, pulsing involuntarily as he held the entire five hundred people in the audience in the palm of his hand. His voice went from ridiculously high back to low, then midrange for the final belted verse; he was so confident in his performance that for a few moments he forgot he wasn't on a stage somewhere in Saint Petersburg, and dropped the mic with the final downnote of the band, standing still in a total rock star stance and breathing heavily, eyes blue fire as he stared down the crowd which was pretty much going out of their minds.

Backstage, Yuri had been watching with Phichit, who was fanning himself exaggeratedly. “Holy _shit_ that was so fucking _hot!_ ” Phichit cried; Sara was shaking her head in disbelief.

“Seriously,” Yuri said, his voice a mix of dreamy and something he was really trying to not admit openly. “I think I've just been impregnated.”

It took a moment for Yuri's words to sink in. Mila had been next to Sara and both women screeched with laughter with Phichit joining them; Leo had been in earshot and was dying laughing as well as Victor came off stage.

“Was I that bad?” he laughed, figuring some private joke was being shared and not taking offense. He was especially curious when he saw Yuri's face was bright red.

“Yuuuuurriiii, do you want to tell me what's so funny?” Victor teased as Kenjirou took the stage for his performance.

“Ah... no, it's nothing!” Yuri grinned. “I'm... gonna go... get some tea, yeah!” He whirled around then, heading to the craft services area with Phichit running after, giggling as he went. Victor tried to get out of Mila and Sara what had happened, but the both of them remained mum.

Onstage Kenjirou had the difficult task of following up after both Otabek and Victor's performances had hyped the crowd up considerably, but his song choice of “Hey Soul Sister” by Train turned out to be the perfect continuation of the mood. His happy, bouncy delivery of the already fun song had everyone singing along to the iconic chart hit. Kenjirou got a major charge out of the crowd joining in and bounded around the stage, especially attracting the attention of several females in the audience with his boybandish looks and blonde and red dyed hair. Within all the flash however he nailed the vocals of the song, which totally fit his personality to a T and drew the crowd in thoroughly.

After three high-energy songs the entire room, judges included, needed a breather. It came in the form of Christophe's very surprising song choice, “I Won't Give Up” by Jason Mraz. He sat on the wooden stool some of the other performers had utilized, playing an acoustic guitar. Like Yura's performance, the soft song revealed that Chris's voice was full of melodic timbre and a subtle vibrato in the lower-range verses. The emotions in his voice became palpable and when he went up an octave for second chorus there was an audible gasp in the audience. He sang he change with a passion and determination that pulled everyone in the room in and had Minako wiping away tears at the judges' table. The backup singers accompanied him on the second-last chorus which had an almost gospel-esque feel before he ended the song with a softly-sung reprise of the chorus lyrics, his own eyes tearing up at the end as the deep meaning of the words threatened to overwhelm him. Celestino and Minako gave him a standing ovation and the rest of the room erupted in wild cheers; when he exited the stage he was met with congratulatory hugs from pretty much everyone near, Victor and Phichit included.

Chris stayed nearby though to watch the performance of his former group mate Ketty as she sat at the keyboard for her song, “Better Place” by Rachel Platten. Her tone was melodic and pretty, carrying across the room with ease as she sang the song with conviction, with the lyrics clearly meaning something important to her. The room was hushed but the atmosphere had seemed to change a bit; while Chris' song had been fraught with emotion and had pulled the audience in, there was a similar reaction to Ketty's performance at there had been to JJ's; some people in the audience seemed to get a bit distracted or bored by the very quiet song. Ketty ended her performance with an uncertain expression that was added to with the polite but very neutral reaction from the judges; she left the stage and burst into tears as she came down the stairs, running off into the backstage area with a very concerned Chris following after.

Morooka had caught Ketty's reaction as well and directed a look of concern to stage right where she'd exited before refocusing to continue the show. “Our next performer is all the way from China, and he's chosen a very ambitious song for his performance. Singing “How Long” by Charlie Puth, here is Guang Hong Ji!”

Phichit and Yuri had been very interested in how this song would play out, as it didn't really seem like something the quiet Chinese boy could pull off. Kenjirou had been telling them otherwise however, and as it turned out his Japanese friend was right. Guang Hong was apparently a boy bander on the down low as he nailed the dance-beat heavy song, shifting from his low and mid ranges to falsetto and back with little effort, even dancing a bit as he performed. The girls in the audience especially were really getting into it and there was a fair amount of singing along; at the judges' table Emil was cheering wildly and fistpumping as he'd known Guang Hong would surprise everyone with the performance and was happy to see it go well. The crowd reacted with wild applause as he finished and Minako expressed her pleasant surprise with the performance before he left the stage.

There were a pair of performances between Guang Hong and Phichit, who would be followed immediately by Yuri; during that time many of those who had already performed gathered around to watch. It was becoming more and more evident that both Phichit and Yuri were forces to be reckoned with, and as a result there was great interest in how both would do. In the interval between Victor's performance and the present time Yuri had confessed to Phichit about the panic attack he'd had and Phichit had spent some time reassuring his friend even though Yuri had calmed considerably after Victor's help. But as Yuri hugged his friend for luck, he was taken aback as Phichit said into his ear, “This is for you, Yuri” before he ran up onstage.

As he watched Yuri felt the lump forming in his throat when Phichit's song, “Brave” by Sara Bareilles began. He'd always known this was one of Phichit's favorite songs, but he'd never even remotely considered the possible reason why. Phichit ended up electing to play the keyboard for the song, his delivery of the it powerful, full of inspiration and encouragement. The song was known to be one that meant a lot to many people and the audience homed in on it, with a great amount of them singing along. Victor's attention was going from Phichit onstage to Yuri's reactions and when he saw Yuri tearing up, he caught on to what was happening and felt suddenly emotional himself. As Phichit hit the glory notes in the final rounds of the choruses the crowd erupted into cheers and screams and Phichit ended the song fighting back the urge to tear up, especially when Celestino, Minako and Emil gave him a standing ovation.

Phichit raced off the stage as Morooka began Yuri's introduction to grab his friend in a crushing hug; he looked over Yuri's shoulder and motioned for Victor to join in which he hurried over and did. As Yuri was enveloped in the arms of his best friend and someone who was rapidly becoming the second to own that title, he felt his own heart surge.

“You've got this Yuri. I know you do,” Phichit said.

“I believe in you,” Victor said. “You can do this.”

As Yuri took a deep breath and headed up the stairs he heard assorted voices -- Mila, Sara, Leo, Chris and possibly even Yura? – calling encouragement to him. He'd been so overwhelmed that he didn't realize he'd forgotten to remove his glasses until he was sitting down at the keyboard Phichit had just played. Pausing to check the tone setting and finding it on piano as needed, he took one more deep breath, counted off, and began to play one of his all-time favorite songs, “Soldier” by Gavin DeGraw.

The lyrics had always reminded him of the encouraging words people had said to him over the years, but those emotions and words were resting right on the surface of his heart at this moment after the love and encouragement he'd received just before walking onstage. The beginning of the song was sparse instrumentally, then as the full band joined in the passion in Yuri's voice rose, meandering through the blues-tinged vocal with perfect pitch. The lyrics in the change and final chorus rang especially true:

_My aim is so true,_  
_I wanna show you,_  
_I'll try forever,_  
_I'm never gonna say "surrender"_  
  
_I'll get it if you need it,_  
_I'll search if you can't see it,_  
_You're thirsty, I'll be rain,_  
_You get hurt, I'll take your pain._  
  
_I know you don't believe it,_  
_But I said it and I still mean it,_  
_When you heard what I told you,_  
_When you get worried I'll be your soldier_

The song then went into the final improvisations over the vocalizations of the backing singers and Yuri felt something lift from him. He was suddenly singing with complete abandon, goosebumps rising on his skin as he realized the entire room was singing along with the backing singers, essentially accompanying him, causing him to rise partially off the stool as he played. He felt the emotion rushing to the surface, tears forming in his eyes as he sang the last, sensitive vocalization accompanied with the final gentle piano notes. His heart was pounding out of his chest as the crowd exploded in cheers and screams and he felt a tear escape from each eye, hastily wiping at them even as he had to laugh at Emil who was standing up and fistpumping...

...and then Yuri almost screamed himself when he looked over to see Minako, Celestino... _and_ Yakov standing, all applauding his performance. All Celestino could manage was to tell him over the roar of the crowd was that his performance had been phenomenal with Minako adding in her agreement before he headed off the stage to the crowd still wildly cheering. As he came down off the last stair he was tackled by a sobbing Phichit and quickly buried in a group hug that along with Phichit included Victor, Mila, Sara and Kenjirou and supplemented with hugs from just about everyone else afterward; even Yura gave him a resounding thump on his back and added gruffly, “nice job”.

 

After the final three performances were done Morooka closed the show and the audience took their leave, after which the 24 contestants were called to the stage. The three judges and Emil were waiting at the judges' table to address the group and as everyone assembled, the high of performing in front of a live audience was already being replaced with an air of tension as the reality began to set in.

“Fantastic job today everyone,” Celestino began. “All of you rose to the occasion and handled this experience well, for the most part. We saw some nerves up there and we saw some people shine that hadn't before, and some who turned into supernovas. You've made our task pretty difficult, I gotta say.”

“We are heading back to the hotel now to do our final deliberations. You'll be heading to the banquet room there for dinner while we do that, and then you'll be called in individually to be told our decisions,” Minako continued.

“No matter what happens after today guys, just know that you're all pretty amazing,” Emil added. “I'm gonna echo what Minako said when you all first got here. You are the final 24 after half a million people auditioned. Think about that. You have all survived to this point because you're all that good. And no matter who goes home today, you should still be damn proud of what you've accomplished and build on it, whether you stay or go.”

“Go and relax and enjoy your dinner,” Yakov finished. “For you, now, it is all over but for our final decisions. You have left everything on the stage. We shall now take it and decide who becomes the final twelve.”

Morooka turned to the contestants then, looking over the faces one last time; the expressions ranged from confident, to concerned, to worried, to just plain exhausted. He'd thought he would have some sort of encouraging speech, but thought better of it. It was the first time he actually came to realize that some serious dreams would be crushed within the next few hours.

He took a deep breath and raised the mic to his lips for the last time of the day.

“Good luck to you all,” he said. “I'll be seeing some of you again soon. That's a wrap, everyone.”

  
  


 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * According to [this tweet](https://twitter.com/soukatsu_/status/879211406784176128), the original title of the musical piece "Yuri on Ice" was "Yuri's Love" in the first promo video for the show. Since Yuri isn't a skater in this AU, I went with this title for consistency rather than making something else up.
> 
> I made note of this in the chapter it first came up in as well, but I found a continuity error regarding Leo's audition song. When he was first mentioned in the judges' audition rounds I had his song as "Still Alive", then later when Hollywood Week began I kind of forgot that (oops) and said it was "Perfect" by One Direction. I corrected it to the One Direction song for his judges' round audition as I felt "Still Alive" worked better for the showcase round.
> 
> Yura's declaration of "not being here to make friends but to win" is a genre-spanning reality show trope that I just had to fit in. If you've watched any kind of reality show at all, you know there's always at least one contestant that says this, lol.
> 
> Also: the [accompanying playlist](https://open.spotify.com/user/fallbackintome/playlist/0jJjh4a3fv5oXd7iSJMhSH) for the story has been updated with this chapter's songs, as well as the "TV Size" version of "You Only Live Once", which is mentioned in Chapter 1 as being the theme song for Superstar Grand Prix; I missed adding it when making the playlist originally.
> 
> And that's it for this time around! Thank you for all the comments, kudos and subscriptions and for taking the time to read this monster, lol. See you next week. :)


	6. At the Beginning With You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Oh man,” Celestino said to Minako as they headed over to say their so-long-for-nows to the contestants. “I really can't wait for January. This group is going to be be a blast.”

**Hollywood Week, Day 7, Part 2 – Final Eliminations**

As the shuttle bus returned to the hotel the remaining 24 contestants were all a mixture of exhausted, nervous and overwhelmed, but the thing they all were the most was famished. They were directed right off of the bus to a banquet room in the hotel where tables of four were waiting. Victor, Mila, Yura and Otabek grabbed one with Victor saving the one directly next to theirs for Yuri, Phichit, Leo and Sara; Otabek then reached over and pulled the two tables together. As Guang Hong, Kenjirou, JJ and Christophe convened at a third table Victor pulled theirs together on the opposite side as well. Ketty had made no attempt to join them, taking up with some of the other contestants, who stayed in groups of four.

After Victor had pulled their table in Christophe ended up sitting next to him on his right. He looked across the way to see Ketty with her back to everyone, and leaned in to speak to Christophe in a low tone.

“What was up with Ketty after her performance?” Victor murmured; he raised an eyebrow when Christophe sighed heavily.

“The criticism of her song choice got to her a lot. She was told she hadn't done anything of note other than the group round and only because she was pushed to. She did the song for a specific person apparently, but she wouldn't tell me who. And now she's not speaking to me, so I really don't know what's going on there,” Chris replied.

“Hello, excuse me, can I have everyone's attention?” The assembled three tables all looked up to find JJ standing at the end, holding up his glass of water.

“I just wanted to wish everyone good luck,” he said. “I also want to call it now.” He gestured to the three assembled tables, including himself. “This is the top 12.”

“Ohhh dude don't go jinxing us!” Leo said with a laugh.

“Seriously! No predictions, I can't deal with it right now!” Kenjirou laughed.

Victor was trying to be discreet as he noticed the scowls on the other side of the room from some of the contestants. He had to admit that outside of Ketty and another Chinese contestant by the name of Cao Bin, he quite honestly didn't know who most of the other people were. The people he was sitting with were those who had stood out the most throughout the entire week, and when he gave the idea some thought he had to concede, at least to himself, that JJ was very possibly correct.

“Anyway. Several of us here can't drink so whatever you have in your glass is fine but... a toast,” JJ said; everyone in the group of 12 raised their assorted glasses.

“Good luck to everyone. May we all make it. Because... well, I'm gonna be brutally honest. If I have to go through this insanity with anyone I kinda want it to be with all of you. I feel like we all kind of fit together, you know?” JJ continued.

Mila looked around as she sipped her water. “Well... since we're all sitting together...”

“We didn't even think about it. We just assumed we'd all sit together,” Leo said. “It's... I do hope we all make it because... I'll miss you guys if anyone leaves.”

The table fell silent for a few moments then as JJ sat back down, the reality of what the next few hours would bring hitting them hard. Finally, Phichit broke the silence.

“I honestly think we'll all make it. Sure, maybe there were one or two of us who had 'off' performances. But if they look at everything we've all done all week? We're all pretty damn awesome. How can they boot any of us now?” Everyone laughed in response to Phichit's very matter-of-fact statement.

“It would be their loss for sure,” Sara said as the waitress came over to take their dinner orders. “I think we all have what it takes to push each other and make this whole thing pretty interesting.”

  
  


Minako, Celestino and Yakov's dinner had turned out to be far from relaxing. Despite their best efforts, it had become a working meal as they had already begun to debate and discuss the eliminations even before they retired to the empty ballroom several floors up from where the contestants were having what for some would be their last meal in Hollywood.

The table was laid out with the headshots of the 24 contestants that were each tagged with a sticky note containing their name; Yakov and Celestino had stacks of notes taken from the entire week, while Minako was consulting the word processing app on her iPad for hers. For a long time they stayed silent, reading over their notes and heavily considering each contestant's entire repertoire of performances from the week as well as their overall personalities and attitudes. Finally, Minako reached out and began to pull a few photos, arranging them in a row below the rest, stopping with four.

“I think these are the ones all three of us agree on and have since pretty much day one,” she said. “There is no way in hell any of these people should go home.”

“Absolutely not,” Celestino agreed. “I honestly think our winner is in these four.”

“Yes. These all have the definite potential to win,” Yakov added.

“Okay. So we have one-third of our final picks. Who else?” Minako continued.

Celestino pulled two headshots then. “I know we've had our differences over this one, but I honestly think he's got more in the tank than we know.”

“This isn't the earlier rounds where we're about second chances,” Minako said. “We have to make smart choices that aren't going to bomb out of the gate.”

“He showed great potential but faltered toward the end. But it could be nerves. He has more good than bad,” Yakov replied. “I say keep him.”

“Me too,” Celestino said. “Majority rules.”

Minako sighed. “Let's keep him for now, but we really need to think it over before we finalize him. I'm still on the fence.”

Yakov then pulled a headshot from the top row. “This one showed a lot of guts. I think there is great potential here.”

“Oh come _on_ Feltzy. He had one “wow” performance. The rest were just okay. 'Just okay' is not going to cut it and could deny someone who deserves it a shot.”

“But really. Of all of those we know could go either way, this one is the only one that's taken what he's been told to heart and at least made an effort. If he pulled off that one 'wow' performance, I really think there's more where that came from,” Celestino said.

“You do not put out a performance like that and have it be the only one. He may falter at first as he learns, but he could be a dark horse,” Yakov said. “And the ones we thought were dark horses are not any longer, so that just shows our impressions aren't always correct.”

Minako was silent for a few moments as she stared at the headshot in question, then finally sighed. “All right, fine. Maybe he's a late bloomer. I just hope he doesn't go home the first week.”

Celestino picked up three more headshots. “Of these three, I think two are pretty obvious. They've all been pretty consistent, but one has been consistent in the wrong way.”

“Definitely. They might as well have done the same song four times. We haven't seen any range. I think these two are a definite yes,” Minako agreed.

“Absolutely. Both are extremely talented,” Yakov said. “Put them in the top.” Celestino put the two photos in the “yes” row, making a total of seven. He looked over the remaining 17 photos and pressed the palm of one hand into his forehead with a groan.

“The rest of these... not so easy. They're all about on par with each other.” He sat down with a smirk, reaching over to take a long drink of his water. “I think we might have some... heated discussion on those that are left.”

“Yeah... I'm pretty sure the three of us all have very different ideas about who the last five should be,” Minako said.

“I have my picks and I think they are the best ones,” Yakov said; both Minako and Celestino looked over at him with raised eyebrows, followed by a facepalm and groan from Minako.

“Yeahhhhhh I knew it. Put on your boxing gloves,” she replied.

  
  


**Two Hours Later**

After their dinner was finished, the 24 contestants were taken to the same floor that the judges were on and led to smaller room across the hall that was filled with 24 chairs. At first they thought they would be told as a group who had made it through but as time went on, with only Seung Gil checking in periodically to tell them that no final decisions had yet been made, everyone began to get on edge. The groups had more or less separated out as they had at dinner, with the 12 contestants whom JJ had predicted as the top 12 all sitting near each other.

“It's been two hours since they brought us up here,” Yura growled. “What the hell's taking so long?”

“Maybe they can't decide again and they're coming up with another round to fuck with us,” Mila said, only half-joking.

“Oh dear god no, please, anything but that,” Christophe said. “I just want to know already.”

Just then Seung Gil came into the room with a cameraman and called for everyone's attention.

“All right everyone... I've been told by the judges that they're ready to make the final cuts. We'll be calling each of you in individually,” Seung Gil said. “Good luck to you all.” He then looked down at his iPad and called the first name; the teenage girl got up and went with Seung Gil, the door to the room closing behind him. About five minutes later she returned, sobbing, to retrieve her purse and inform the two other girls she'd been keeping company with that she'd been cut. She was then escorted out of the room by one of the production assistants, presumably to go to her room to pack; her mother could be seen wrapping an arm in consolation around her daughter's shoulders as they walked away.

There was another pause, then Seung Gil returned to the room. “Sara Crispino,” he called.

Sara took a deep breath and paused to accept a hug from Phichit and Mila, then walked over to Seung Gil. He led her out into the hallway and over to the door of the banquet room, where Morooka was waiting.

“Hi Sara,” he began once the cameraman was ready. “How are you feeling about your chances?”

Sara decided to be truthful, at the risk of sounding too confident. “I think I've got a pretty decent shot,” she said.

“All right then, let's find out. Good luck,” Morooka said, pulling open the door.

Sara entered and found the 200 square foot room completely empty and dimly lit except for on the far side, where sitting in three chairs facing her as she walked forward were the judges and two cameramen. The walk across the room felt like it took an eternity, and it only served to make her more nervous as she tried to read their faces while she approached and found it impossible. Finally she was within earshot of their voices, with a production assistant pausing to hand her a small clip-on microphone and directing her how to put it on.

“Hi Sara,” Minako said. “How was your dinner?”

Sara sat down in an empty chair that was facing the judges. “It was good. We all finally got a chance to talk so that was nice.”

“Good,” Minako continued. “So. You already know that we've really liked you since your audition. You put down consistently great performances through all the rounds as well.”

“We were a little concerned about your ability to switch things up though,” Celestino continued. “Just about all of your songs were sort of midtempo, nice and melodic which is good because it showed us your vocal capablities. The group round gave us a better idea of your range but you hadn't really showed us much that was notable.”

“However the Showcase was a huge surprise,” Minako added. “We had really been on the fence about you even going into the Showcase before then. But you switched things up and not a moment too soon because it gave us a better idea of what kind of artist you could become if you have the chance to move on in the competition.”

By this point Sara's heart was pounding out of her chest and she was no closer to figuring out what was about to happen; she felt herself gripping the arms of the chair.

“So... with all that in mind, Sara,” Celestino said, pausing and appearing to give all of what had been said a few more moments of consideration, “...you have made it to the Top 12.”

For a moment, Sara had been so thrown off by their talking in circles that she hadn't realized what they'd said, and when it hit her she jumped up and screamed, causing Celestino and Minako to break into laughter.

“Oh god thank you so much,” she said, trying not to tear up but failing as Minako came forward to give her a hug followed by Celestino; Yakov remained seated but shook her hand and gave her a nod. She turned around then and started walking back toward the door quickly, then broke into a jog when she found the adrenaline rushing too much. When she emerged into the hallway Morooka was waiting and congratulated her with a grin, then the cameraman followed her into the room where the contestants were waiting. Phichit had caught a glimpse of her as she'd come out of the other room but hadn't quite seen enough to tell what had happened, and still wasn't quite sure when she came through the door.

“She's crying... oh no...” Phichit and Yuri both gasped, fearing the worst, until Sara was unable to contain herself and shouted that she'd made it. The pair along with Leo then jumped out of their seats to smother her in a group hug as another of the contestants they weren't as familiar with was called into the room.

“So what happened?” Mila asked as she, Victor, Phichit, Yuri and Leo sat down from giving her congratulatory hugs.

“So you walk into the room and it's like, the same size as the one we practiced in for group rounds. But it's totally empty, and dark except for where the judges are. You have to walk all the way across and it feels like it takes forever. Then they were stalling and messing with me and I had no fucking idea what was going on until they finally told me I was through,” she said.

“God, it sounds like they're going to work this for maximum drama,” Leo groaned.

“Yeah, they are. So just be prepared for that,” Sara replied.

“Because this week hasn't been enough of an emotional rollercoaster,” Yuri said. “You'd think they'd cut us at least a little break.”

The contestant that had been called in returned for their things, looking quite angry; he took his leave after snapping at the person he'd been sitting with, escorted by the same production assistant.

“Well, another down,” Victor noted. “I think we're going to be here a while.”

“Chris Giacometti,” Seung Gil called.

Chris had been sitting next to Victor and turned to accept the other man's hand in a good luck shake; as he stood up he took hugs from Mila and Sara and a high five from Phichit as he made his way over to Seung Gil, who then walked him across the hall to Morooka.

“Hello Chris,” Morooka said. “The moment of truth hm?”

Chris grinned, trying to remain calm but suddenly feeling very uneasy. “It would seem so. At least I won't be waiting as long as some will.”

“That's always a plus. Good luck,” Morooka said, and Chris was directed to enter the room.

Chris walked rather quickly across the sprawling room, absently looking overhead at the massive chandelier dripping with crystals glowing softly, its dimmer turned down to the point where it really offered no usable light. As he got closer he put on his performance smile, trying not to let the judges see his nervousness. He clipped the microphone to the lapel of his blazer and sat down, slapping the palms of his hands on the arms of the vinyl cushioned chair decisively.

“Hello Chris,” Minako smiled. “You seem to be in pretty good spirits as always.”

“I'm doing my best,” he replied, remembering what Sara had said about the judges stringing her along and decided to be just as evasive in return.

“You have been impressive since your audition,” Yakov began. “I did not get a chance to tell you, but I did fire the employee who rejected your demo submission.”

Chris was genuinely surprised by that, especially since it had been so long ago he'd pretty much forgotten about it, especially with all that had transpired in the past week. “Oh... well I'm sorry he's out of a job, but I'm rather flattered,” he replied.

“For a time during this past week though I was concerned about how much versatility you were capable of,” Yakov continued. “Your songs were in league with your profession which is fine if that's all you want to be. But it made us all uncertain for a while.”

“Yeah I was kind of bummed when you kind of came out of the gate seeming like a one-trick-pony,” Celestino continued. “Mostly because I knew there was more talent in there, and you had to realize it and use that ability.”

“But the good thing about having so many rounds in Hollywood Week is that you get critiqued,” Minako continued. “We're here to help bring things like that out of people. I've seen it so much in my profession with dancers. They think they can only do one thing once they've mastered it and they're afraid to step out of the box.”

There was a pause then that lasted just long enough for Chris to start feeling a bit more uncertain about his chances. He nodded unconsciously, trying to will the judges to get on with it.

“But right in the nick of time you listened and you gave us something different,” Celestino said. “And it really took us all off guard. It was good to see that you had that in you, that emotion, and that there was some depth under the stripper facade.” Chris tried not to cringe at the “stripper” pronouncement and really hoped it would be edited out of the broadcast, but somehow he felt like it wouldn't be.

“And after a lot of deliberation, we decided... that it was enough to make us want to see more. You're through to the Top 12 Chris,” Minako said, finally smiling with what almost looked like relief; Chris immediately got the sense that the judges were more than likely being told to stretch things out for dramatic effect. Regardless, he felt himself break into a smile and his hands let go of the arms of the chair to clasp together in gratitude as he rose.

“Merci beaucoup,” he said with a relieved laugh; Yakov was the first to lean forward in his chair and offer a congratulatory handshake, followed by Celestino and a hug from Minako. “I will most definitely be trying some different things going forward. Can't have everyone getting bored, now can we?”

“That's what I want to hear,” Celestino laughed. “Congratulations Chris, we'll see you in a few weeks.”

Chris took that as he cue to leave and he did so... after he very nearly walked off with the microphone still clipped to his lapel, causing everyone to break into laughter. He undid it with a blush and handed it to the production assistant then headed toward the door, annoyed that he'd managed to lose his composure a bit despite his best efforts. He came out of the room and paused to have a few words with Morooka for the cameras then, taking in a deep breath, then put on his best stone face as he returned to the holding room.

Victor was the first to see him, and he nearly stopped breathing when he saw Chris' face. One by one, the group of contestants that had become closer and closer friends watched Chris come toward them, trying to read his expression. Chris stopped in front of Victor, heaving a heavy, defeated sigh.

Victor felt himself go cold. “No. No way,” he said, shaking his head; Phichit and Yuri's eyes were saucers as the shock began to creep in.

Chris suddenly found himself unable to keep the ruse going after seeing Victor's face go pale. “No, no way in hell they were letting me go!” he grinned; Victor jumped up and crushed him in a hug as Mila yelled “you asshole!!” as everyone broke into laughter; even the cameraman and Seung Gil had to laugh at how fully Chris had fooled them.

Seung Gil was back to business quickly however, as he called Jean-Jacques next. As he rose he received good luck handshakes from Kenjirou and Guang Hong; apparently there were no lingering hard feelings from the disastrous group round as the three had stuck together rather consistently since. He headed across the hall and after the obligatory few words with Morooka, he made his way through the dimly-lit room to sit before the judges, heart pounding in his chest.

“Hi JJ. How are you feeling?” Celestino said, his expression unreadable.

“Well... I was pretty good till today. I've been kind of second-guessing my song choice since the performance earlier,” he replied.

“As you should,” Celestino continued. “If I recall correctly, Yakov mentioned to you in your audition that you would have to show us that you're open to guidance and constructive criticism, and to listening to the advice of people who can help you. You did pretty good in the beginning rounds, but from what we've heard you were pretty resistant about your Showcase song.”

“What exactly was it about that song that made you so intent on doing it?” Minako asked.

JJ drew in a deep breath, starting to feel even more nervous now. “Well... it was my parents' wedding song. Before I left to come here my mom asked me to try to do it at some point if the opportunity came up and when I saw it on the song list, I wanted to do that. I wasn't sure if I'd make it past this round so I wanted to do it just in case.”

“That is a terrible reason to choose a song,” Yakov said bluntly. “When you are in the industry, what your family and friends say means nothing. It is what the people who are working with you to make you successful say that is important. When you are at the level of a superstar, you can do little things for your family. But right now you should be paying every attention to what you are told is best to do.”

JJ started to feel a bit faint, and drew in a couple of breaths as he gripped the arms of the chair; he nodded and murmured “yes, sir.”

“However, we did see in the Sudden Death round that you did take our advice, and you had a pretty amazing moment with that song, which you also chose with your family in mind,” Minako continued. “And it's all well and good to do that, because other contestants did it too. But. If you are told that something isn't right for you multiple times, you have to drop the stubbornness, the indebtedness to family, and do what those who know best are telling you to do. I had to do it, Celestino did and even Yakov when he was coming up in the business. Don't ever think because you have degrees in music and years of training that you know what's up when you hit the big time. Because you don't.”

“All that said,” Celestino continued, “You did show us that you are capable of listening when you're reminded of the importance. We have decided to put some good faith out there that you'll remember it without us having to tell you again. You are through to the Top 12, but just barely. Just remember this going forward, because the cuts will be made by the viewers from now on, and they are not going to be as lenient as we are.”

JJ had broken into tears from the moment Celestino had said he had made it through, and was nodding adamantly through his sobs as he listened to the rest. He rose, thanking each of them profusely and promising to listen to the input of the mentors and judges going forward. He jogged out of the room, throwing off the contestants when he came in sobbing.

“Oh no way, did you get cut??” Guang Hong asked, eyes wide.

“No, they let me through but they almost didn't,” JJ replied, wiping at his eyes. “I fucked up pretty bad in the Showcase and they were pissed. They told me I have to listen to people's input or the viewers will end up voting me off.” A few chairs down from where JJ was still standing, Yura, his head down as he pretended to be looking at his phone, snorted in amusement, catching the attention of Mila next to him.

“What's your problem?” she asked.

“His ego bit him in the ass,” Yura murmured. “I'm just enjoying it.” He yelped in protest as Mila gave him an elbow to the ribs in response.

“He's learning, like we all are, that just because the people around you tell you you're great doesn't mean you can't do better,” she said. “You'd do well to remember that too.”

A few more contestants were called in, returning to gather their things and take their leave as they were cut. After the fourth elimination in a row after JJ, the room was getting considerably more empty as Phichit's name was called. Yuri stood up and gave him a tight hug, patting his back.

“Good luck. You have to make it, I don't know what I'll do without you,” Yuri murmured into his ear.

“Well, there's always Victor,” Phichit grinned; it took Yuri a second to catch what he'd said, and with a gasp and a shove he sent his giggling best friend on his way. Yuri sat back down in his chair, face flushed.

“What was that about?” Leo said with a curious smirk.

“Nothing!” Yuri replied, “just Phichit being Phichit.”

Always a ball of energy, Phichit bounded into the banquet room, running the length in half the time of all others that had walked it so far. He pinned the microphone to his shirt and sat down with a grin and a perky “Hi guys!”, at which Celestino had to laugh.

“I think you have to be the most optimistic person I have ever met,” Celestino began. “I don't think I've ever seen you without a smile.”

“You gotta smile, it makes people wonder what you're up to!” Phichit replied; Minako broke into laughter and even Yakov cracked a smile.

“Well what you've been up to this week has been pretty amazing,” Celestino continued. “You pretty much nailed every round. My only note really is that aside from the Sudden Death round, you've kind of done songs with the same vibe that fit your personality. And while that's to be expected, I did like the versatility we saw with “Hold Back the River”. The song had highs and lows in it and it proved that you can do those things.”

“I don't know if it's a conscious choice or not that you gravitate toward those songs,” Minako said. “We actually didn't even catch it until we were reviewing, because that's who you are. The songs all speak to who you are as a person and gave us a very well-rounded, total package deal. You clearly know who you are and you work that well, to the point that it's not noticeable as it is with some of the other people we've seen this week.”

“And that is a very strong point, to know who you want to be so soon,” Yakov continued. “Your musical training has helped you to develop very quickly. But when you are confident in who you are as an artist, that is when you can branch out and try other things. That is where you are now. I believe you can likely adapt to anything, and I am interested in seeing how you handle the challenges going forward with the different musical themes. You are much too talented to not allow the chance to grow and expand your abilities. That is why we have unanimously voted to send you to the Top 12.”

Phichit jumped out of his chair and whooped, setting all in the room to laughing as he fistpumped with both hands over his head. Feeling the pull of the microphone cord he removed it from his shirt and went to each of the judges, thanking them and shaking their hands. As he ran back toward the doors he was so ecstatic he actually jumped the last several feet, causing everyone in the room to laugh again as he bounded out of the door.

“If we didn't put him through there would have been a riot,” Minako said. “That kid is amazing.”

“Absolutely,” Celestino agreed. “He's got _it_ ,” for sure. And I think he's going to be one of the last standing.”

Phichit raced into the room, bouncing over to the group with Yuri the first to crush him in a hug as the pair laughed, nearly toppling over in their excitement; they were joined in a group hug by Leo and Sara before several of the others also congratulated him.

Over the next half hour a total of six more contestants were called in, with both Guang Hong and Kenjirou getting put through with warnings about upping their performance game. Minako made note of the hints of more underlying talent that Guang Hong showed in the Showcase round, while Celestino pointed out that Kenjirou had relied a bit too heavily on bouncy, happy songs, unlike 'other contestants we've seen' who had mastered being comfortable in a genre without seeming repetitive. Victor quietly noted to Chris the irony of Mickey having been cut previously for Guang Hong, who showed growth and progress after the Sudden Death round, with both agreeing that it gave some insight as to what the judges were looking for.

Leo was called in next, and as he traveled the long walk up to the judges he felt his stomach tighten. He really hoped that his performance in the Showcase had been enough to get him through, considering the amount of rap in it versus singing. Even though he'd gotten a favorable response, he wasn't going to relax until he knew one way or another. He sat down in the chair across from the judges as the tech pinned on the microphone, putting on his best happy face.

“Hi Leo,” Minako said. “So how did you feel about your performance today?”

“Well, I liked it... I guess I wanted to show a little of what else I can do. I know there wasn't as much singing as most of the other contestants' songs but I figured if I have to go out, I wanted it to be on a song that means a lot to me,” he answered; he started to feel like he was rambling a bit and ended his response there.

“We already knew you could play an instrument and have a pretty good voice,” Celestino said. “I know you said you just started vocal training recently, so I think a lot of your issue now is just confidence. It takes a while for the mechanics of singing to become muscle memory and I do think you kind of overthink it too much at times. Just because you're new to singing doesn't mean you can't do something different.”

“Sometimes that's the only way you learn,” Minako added. “You have to take risks sometimes. I liked that you did this song because it did show us a bit of a different side of your personality. I think the song was balanced enough that, when we put it up against the other songs you've done, the rap wasn't as overpowering as it seemed. It was a nice little surprise.”

“It is often very difficult to figure out what the best way to develop an artist is,” Yakov continued. “Sometimes they need more vocal training or lessons on their instruments. Sometimes it is working on their image. For you, I think you will thrive best by just being out in front of people and learning. Your personality is engaging enough that I think even if you do have some difficulty, you will still have favor with those following you.”

“So with all that in mind, Leo,” Minako said, “We talked it over quite a bit and we think you'd benefit from going forward. You're in the top 12!”

Leo had really expected with the way the conversation was going to be cut, so when Minako said otherwise he blinked in surprise. “Really? Seriously? Oh... oh wow!” he grinned, causing Celestino to laugh at his reaction. Leo stood up and shook each judge's hand and thanked them before jogging back to the door; when he entered the waiting room his emotions finally caught up to him and he jumped and whooped, with Yuri, Phichit and Sara rushing over to group hug their friend.

Seung Gil had paused to let the celebration conclude, then looked around the room once more. “Victor Nikiforov,” he finally called out.

“Well, it's been nice knowing you all,” Victor said with a grin; everyone responded with variations of “oh please” and “shut up” mixed with laughter as Victor followed Seung Gil out to where Morooka waited.

“Victor, how are you feeling about your performance today?” Morooka asked.

“I felt pretty good. I got a little crazy,” he laughed. “I didn't mean to break the microphone. I found out I did when they needed a new one.”

“Eh, we've got a bunch of them, it's not a big deal,” Morooka laughed. “Good luck in there buddy.” And with a pat on Victor's shoulder Morooka sent him on his way.

Despite his outward confidence, the walk through the room was still somewhat intimidating, with the atmosphere that had been created and the judges seeming to be seated in what almost felt like an interrogation setting. He sat down with an exhale, trying to cross one leg over the other to appear nonchalant.

“Victor Nikiforov. So you've been through this cut thing a few times before from what your bio said,” Celestino said. “What was the reasoning behind those other cuts?”

Victor didn't particularly like thinking about them, and as such the recollections had faded a bit; he paused to think them over to give a generic answer, careful to not mention the other shows by name. “The first one was inexperience, which I admit was likely the case. I was just coming out of being primarily a ballet dancer, so I didn't know how to be a “musician” versus just some kid who sings and plays guitar then. The others... I guess they just weren't looking for my type of performer. I was told I reminded them too much of another person, or that they didn't see me fitting into what they wanted on their particular show.”

“I wish I could see those other auditions, because I really have to wonder how that could even be,” Yakov continued. “It is obvious your talent isn't just learned. You have a natural gift for music, a natural confidence that you put forth. Perhaps your first rejection was due to inexperience, but I do not understand how you haven't been discovered by now.”

“As far as sounding or reminding people of someone else, I can see similarities,” Minako acknowledged. “But there's also aspects to your performances that are just uniquely 'you'. The only thing I do want to mention is that while you have the rocker thing down completely, I really want to see you stretch out more like you did with the Josh Groban song. You have the talent to pull amazing things out of your hat that will blow people's minds, and in the live rounds there will be opportunities to arrange the songs to make them different as well which I think you'll do well with. Just make sure you don't get comfortable because sometimes it can be tough to realize that you're doing the same thing, especially when you do it so well that everyone's cool with it.”

Victor nodded then. “I actually was a bit worried about my Showcase song. I knew I could pull it off and I knew it was a high level of difficulty, but I knew it might still be considered a bit safe. But by the time I considered that it was too late to try anything else.”

“See the thing about that song though? We knew you had a strong rock voice, but I can only name about two people in my entire career I've seen nail a cover of that, and I am definitely not one of them,” Celestino replied. “Sure it was in your wheelhouse, but _no one_ saw those war screams coming. I think it was a perfect choice to make a statement.”

“Absolutely,” Minako nodded. “So if I'm counting right this is your fifth attempt at getting through a tv talent show. Well the fifth time's a charm Victor because there's no way you're not making it to our top 12.”

Victor brought both hands up to his face then, covering it against the rush of tears that threatened to take over. He could hear Minako say “awww” softly as he drew in a couple of deep breaths to compose himself, then uncovered his face again.

“Thank you so much,” he finally said, his voice still a bit shaky. “If there's one thing I enjoy doing, it's surprising people. You'll see a lot more of it, I promise.” He rose then, shaking hands with Celestino and accepting a hug from Minako; as he shook Yakov's hand the older man placed his free hand on top of Victor's and locked eyes with him for a few moments; Victor wasn't certain what Yakov was trying to convey, so he nodded in gratitude and smiled, surprised himself now as Yakov responded with a small smile of his own.

Victor returned to the waiting room after the long walk back during which he fought back another rush of tears, leading his friends to at first be concerned as he sat down with a heavy sigh, burying his face in his hands. Mila wrapped an arm around his shoulders and asked what was wrong as everyone held their breath.

“I... got through... I finally got through,” he finally said, his voice catching in his throat.

“Of course you did,” Mila said. “We'd have burned this place down if you didn't.” She hugged him tightly then with Chris joining in; Yuri was about to get up and go over to him when Seung Gil called his name.

For a moment Yuri felt himself freeze and he fought to swallow down a rush of anxiety so strong he felt like he was going to pass out. Phichit got up and hugged him immediately as soon as he saw his friend's face go pale.

“You'll be fine. There's no way they're cutting you,” he said. As Yuri made his way over to Seung Gil he felt a hand pat his arm; he looked over and was met by Victor's blue gaze, still a bit teary, accompanied with a soft smile.

“You'll make it,” Victor said. “We'll burn the place down if you don't.”

Yuri smiled in return and then hurried over, at which Seung Gil told him he was fine as far as timing. As he walked with Yuri out to Morooka, the stage manager gave Yuri's shoulder a pat as well.

“Don't worry. You've got this,” Seung Gil said. It was so out of character for the all-business Korean man that it distracted Yuri enough to calm him a bit.

“Thanks,” Yuri replied. “I hope you're right.”

“Yuri Katsuki is next up to go in front of the judges,” Morooka said into the camera before turning to him. “You had an amazing performance today, you should feel pretty confident I think.”

“Well, there's always room for improvement,” Yuri said. “Hopefully I'll get the chance to.”

Morooka smiled then. “I'm sure you will,” he replied as the tech inside opened the door.

Sara had been right about the nerve-wracking atmosphere of the room. As Yuri walked forward, watching the judges loom ever closer with each step, he had the random, fleeting thought that he really hoped the giant chandelier above him didn't fall. It was the way his mind worked; the more stressed he was, the more ridiculous things his mind would come up with to offset it. It worked, the distraction just enough to make the walk seem to take less time than it did; he was finally sitting down and getting his mic pinned on when he composed his thoughts.

“Yuri dear, how are you doing?” Minako asked in Japanese first.

“I'm nervous, not going to lie,” he replied in Japanese as well; the Japanese tech that was in charge of the microphones jotted down what the pair had said on an iPad, presumably for subtitling on the broadcast later on.

“Aww, I don't think you have anything to be nervous about,” Minako continued in English. “We have seen consistently great performances from you from your audition onward. You have a very clear sense of the type of artist you want to be.”

“You've done a good variety of stuff too,” Celestino said. “The audition with Bruno, then the Elton John song which, that song is pretty iconic and you nailed it. You were great in the group round; we watched some of the footage and saw that you had a lot to do with the choreography and the harmony arrangements there. Then we saw your guitar skills with the Shawn Mendes song and got a better sense of your range which is pretty phenomenal. But man, the Showcase...”

“The Showcase was on another level for you,” Yakov added. “It was the first time I think I have seen you really let go and let the music take over. In fact there is only one thing I have to say to you that I think you need to work on, and that is your confidence. You are phenomenally talented. You are able to do many things very well and have a good, strong sense of who you are. But sometimes I still see from you that you are holding back. You worry about the performance being perfect. It is still apparent at times when you start to let go, when you feel the performance is going well. But today I saw you stand up, engage the crowd, not pay attention so much to your playing but what your performance was bringing out in your audience. Remember that feeling, because it is one you should embrace. You have the technical perfection. Now just believe in yourself enough to let it flow naturally.”

By this time Yuri's heart was pounding in his chest; he was still not quite sure where the critique was leading to, but he noted that it was similar to what Lilia had said to him as well.

“The only way you really learn confidence in performances is through repetition,” Minako said. “You just keep doing it till you just _know_ you can walk out there and kick ass, and you stop thinking about it. So, on top of the fact that you're an all-around amazing performer, we are putting you through to the top 12 so you can get through that last hurdle and be everything you're meant to be.”

Yuri gasped, covering his face with both hands as he fought back tears borne of anxiety and happiness all at once, a muffled “oh my god” slipping out through his fingers. As he stood up Minako came over and hugged him tightly, giving his back a rub with one hand.

“You're going to do just fine,” she murmured into his ear in Japanese. “I can't wait to see you really let go and shine.”

Yuri stepped out of Minako's embrace after thanking her to thank Yakov and Celestino in turn; as he took his leave Celestino called after him, “Don't worry brother, you got this!” at which Yuri turned around and waved and smiled, face flushed red as he disappeared from their view into the shadows that swallowed up all of the contestants about halfway across the room.

“That kid has talent up the ass,” Celestino said. “He just needs to believe it.”

“He's modest, like a lot of Japanese people are,” Minako said. “It might take some time yet for him to come out of his shell, it did for me when I was young too. But once he does? He has the potential to be one of the best singer-songwriters out there.”

“Absolutely,” Yakov said as the rectangle of light at the far side of the room indicated Yuri taking his leave out of the door. “He could win this for sure, but even if he doesn't, there will be a place for him in this industry.”

Outside of the ballroom Yuri returned to the waiting room and as soon as he saw Phichit he teared up again.

“I made it!” Yuri said, his voice teary as Phichit crushed him in a hug that was joined by Sara and Leo as the few remaining contestants applauded. As Yuri went to sit down Mila grabbed him and hugged him and then Victor rose, wrapping him into a hug as well.

“I knew you'd make it,” Victor said. “I'd have been really pissed off if you didn't.”

Yuri couldn't help but laugh as he stepped back out of Victor's hug. “After how you wailed on that stage I wouldn't want to piss you off!” he laughed, causing everyone else in the room to as well.

Two more contestants were eliminated before Mila was called in. As she sat down in the chair before the judges, Celestino began before she was even situated completely.

“If I'm counting right, you're one of two ladies left waiting on decisions,” he pointed out.

“Yeah, I am,” she said. “All that are left after me are Yura, Otabek and Ketty.”

“We're definitely down to the wire now. The last decisions have to be thought through that much more,” Minako said. “But quite honestly, I don't think this one is going to be difficult at all.”

“No,” Yakov said. “You have shown a lot of talent from your first audition. And since you have been around others who have more experience, both your voice and your overall presence has improved. You seem to be taking everything in and using it well.”

Mila nodded. “Yes sir. Everyone has something to offer, I'd be crazy not to watch and learn from everyone, especially if I want to go far in the competition.”

“That's what we like to hear, and I think you know that based on critiques of other contestants over the last week,” Celestino said. “We know some of you are going to be on a learning curve here, but at the same time, it can't be too steep because after this, the eliminations won't be solely in our hands anymore. The viewers will have the majority of the power in deciding who stays or goes.”

“And that's why we need quick studies, and people who are not only talented out of the gate, but willing to up their game by doing what they need to do and listening to what they're told,” Minako continued. “The performance of yours that stuck out the most to me was the one from today. We know you and Sara switched songs and that you worked together even though you're competitors. I like that. You both ended up benefiting from it, because this performance from you was amazing.”

“Absolutely. We saw that you have more than just the rocker chick thing going for you. You gave us a good range of emotions. We saw a softer side of you in your audition song but that was an angsty one. This showed sensitivity, rawness. It made us want to know what else you're hiding.”

“To be honest, it was the first time I'd done something like that. But now that I know that I can, it's something I can add to what I know and work with it,” Mila replied.

“That is exactly what we want,” Yakov said. “We all think you have a great deal of potential to get even better, which is why you are through to the top 12.”

Mila clenched both fists and let out a “yessssss!”, causing everyone to laugh as she rose to thank each of the judges in turn. In her excitement she broke into a run as she left the room, letting out another whoop as soon as she got outside the doors.

Yura was called in next; as he took his leave with Seung Gil, Mila looked around the room.

“So counting Yura, there's... thirteen of us left,” she said, her words slowing down as the realization hit. Otabek's face turned a bit concerned; Ketty's expression was unreadable.

“So that means out of Yura, Otabek and Ketty... only two will stay,” JJ said.

“Thanks Captain Obvious,” Ketty snapped suddenly; Chris looked over at her with a concerned frown.

“There's no way they'll cut Yura,” Otabek said. “His song today was really good and it was different which is what he needed to do.”

“They better not. He deserves to stay in,” Kenjirou said. “I think he'll be able to learn different types of songs pretty quickly.”

“He listens to a lot of different music,” Otabek said. “He has more up his sleeve than everyone realizes.” He looked through the door of the waiting room to see Yura's grandfather Nikolai waiting outside the door, chatting with Morooka; suddenly the door opened and Nikolai was taken inside.

“Uh... I don't know if that was good or bad,” Phichit said. “Have any other family members gone in like that?”

“I think the one other girl that was like 14 had her mom go in... when she was cut,” Sara said. “She was the one who was screaming at everyone when they were leaving.”

“Oh god that was so uncomfortable,” Yuri said. “I really hope they don't use that footage, that would be horrible for her to have the world see that.”

“I would hope they have some decency,” Victor said. “The poor thing wasn't ready for all of this though, and I think that proved it. The first rejection is always difficult but I just don't think she was mature enough to handle everything that's going to come.”

The door across the hall opened again and Yura and Nikolai emerged, with Nikolai's arm around his grandson's shoulders as they walked into the room. Everyone immediately noticed that Yura's eyes were red.

“He made it,” Nikolai said. “I am so proud of him.”

Mila got up and hugged Yura, who still seemed rather overwhelmed; the rest of the remaining group gave their congratulations as well, with Victor waiting until last. The fact that Yura accepted his hug, which was completely out of character for the teen, was not lost on him. Victor had the sense that there was a lot on Yura's shoulders, possibly more than he'd let on. He hoped he'd learn more in the coming weeks, if for nothing else than to be a bit of guidance for him.

Seung Gil then stepped forward once the group had settled back down.

“Otabek, Ketty, both of you come with me please,” he said. Everyone was taken aback as the pair rose and followed.

“It makes sense,” Guang Hong said after thinking a moment or two. “They have to do it like they did with the Sudden Death round, with me and Mickey, or you'd know right away who the final person was.”

“Ah, that's true,” Victor said. “And it's interesting to note that both of them have had similar things said to them about their performances by the judges, that they both needed to do different things.”

“Otabek did though, and she didn't,” Yura said. “He should get the last spot.”

Chris sighed then with an air of resignation. “True, very true,” he replied.

Ketty and Otabek walked toward the judges, neither speaking to the other and Ketty a decent distance away from Otabek, whom she hadn't gotten to know at all. The tech had moved a second chair over in front of the judges and the pair sat down, pinning their microphones on as instructed.

“Hi guys,” Minako said. “Been a long day. I'll bet you're both glad to be almost done.”

“It depends on what 'done' will mean,” Otabek said with a light smirk.

“This is true,” Celestino said. He paused for a moment to see if Ketty had any words, but she remained silent; he noticed her wringing her hands, which appeared to be trembling.

“Otabek. We had said to you that you needed to show a different side of yourself, that you had to step up your game,” Celestino continued. “We hadn't seen a lot of range or emotion from you, until today. The U2 song was a very smart choice. It's very well known even by younger people and it drew the crowd in perfectly. That was what we were trying to get through to you, and you succeeded at it very well.”

“Ketty. You on the other hand have kind of stayed on an even keel,” Minako said. “All ballads by Carrie Underwood, Sheryl Crow, Rachel Platten. The only time we saw something different from you was the group round. You cooperated very well with Chris and showed us that you can do those things if you're obligated to. And while some of the contestants we've put through are already very secure in who they are as artists, and as such can pull off having songs in a specific genre because they still mix them up stylistically, everything you did basically sounded the same.”

“You were told by Takeshi that your song for the Showcase was not good enough. Why did you stay with it?” Yakov asked.

“I... it was for someone, but clearly that was a mistake on a few levels,” Ketty said; were it not for her microphone, her low, almost mumbling tone wouldn't have been audible.

“On top of that, your delivery of the song was very dull. You put no effort into it, as if you had given up on the inspiration that made you choose it in the first place,” Yakov pointed out. “It was very apparent, and the crowd noticed as well because some of their attention was not kept.”

“You have to be willing to take advice to heart, especially when it's so critical like it was today,” Minako said, trying to offset Yakov's harsh tone with a gentler one. “We also told JJ the same thing. Sometimes no matter how much a song means to you on a personal level, if it's not a good choice for you, you have to move on from it.”

“So. With all that said,” Celestino added, “Otabek, you've shown us that you're making the attempt to up your game. And even though we have only seen one 'wow' performance from you, it was a very big 'wow'. Now that you know you have it in you, I think we'll see more of it, am I right?”

Otabek nodded. “Yes sir. I have seen the themes for the live shows and I already have some ideas.”

“Ketty, can you say the same?” Celestino asked.

“I haven't gotten that far. I was just trying to survive this round,” she said sullenly.

“Well, I think that answer kind of seals the deal then,” Minako said, “and confirms that our final decision is the right one. I'll be honest, I was skeptical at first but the more I've thought about it... Otabek, you deserve a chance to grow and expand your experience. You are the final contestant through to the top 12. Ketty, I'm sorry sweetheart but it's the end of the line.”

Ketty stood up so abruptly her microphone popped off of the blouse she was wearing, bouncing to the floor. Without saying another word she whirled around and began to stalk off toward the door, a total 180 degree turnaround from the personality she'd displayed the whole week. Otabek watched her go until the shadows swallowed her up, then turned back to the judges, unsure of what to do next.

“Well that was dramatic,” Minako said with a nervous laugh, hoping to break the tension. “Anyway, congratulations Otabek. Our top 12 is now complete.”

Otabek finally smiled then as he rose to shake each of the judges' hands. “I promise I will do my best,” he said.

“All we really want from all of you is to try. Learn as much as you can and utilize it. Even if you don't win, this whole experience is valuable. Use it to your advantage no matter what happens,” Celestino said.

“I will remember,” Otabek nodded. As he shook hands with Yakov the older man wished him luck and once again commended his Showcase performance while speaking in Russian, with Otabek responding in kind.

Outside, Ketty burst through the door, refusing to speak with Morooka. She stormed into the waiting room, grabbing her purse as she sobbed angry tears. Chris rose to go over to her to see if he could at least comfort her, but she stayed him with a hand and snapped 'save it' before turning on her heel and leaving, with one of the production assistants hurrying along behind her; they could hear her shout at the cameraman to “turn that fucking thing off” as the elevator dinged; he returned, camera in hand and face bewildered. Morooka kept things together by telling him to prepare for Otabek's emergence from the room, since he obviously had been put through.

Shortly after this Otabek did come out of the door with a smile on his face and after a few words with Morooka, headed into the room to be greeted by the eleven other people that JJ had correctly pronounced the top 12. Everyone exchanged hugs and tears of both happiness and exhaustion; after a few moments Yura called his grandfather over to join in the quiet celebration, introducing him to everyone.

After a bit of the contestants letting the final votes sink in, Morooka, Seung Gil and the three judges all came into the waiting room to congratulate them as well, mingling in with everyone for a bit before taking up a place in the front of the room.

“Well, we have our top 12 finally!” Minako said with a grin and open arms. “It's been a long week, but you've all handled it very well despite the ups and downs. You are the last ones standing after half a million people at the beginning of this crazy ride. That's pretty damn amazing right?”

“So now that you have all made it to the finals, we will tell you what is at stake,” Yakov said. “The contestant that is crowned the Grand Prix Superstar will win a $5 million dollar recording contract with Agape Records to record their debut album. The second place finisher will receive a $1 million dollar contract to record a six-song EP.”

All twelve contestants gasped in unison, with Nikolai's eyes going wide as well as he stood nearby.

“There will be other prizes announced at a later time, but those are the biggest ones,” Yakov said. “Also, the top 10 finalists will be going on an international tour that will include each of your home towns.”

“Whaaaaaat??” Phichit blurted out, with a few “oh my god's” muttered by the other contestants.

“Also, starting with the first live shows, you will all be recording studio versions of your songs, which will be released on iTunes worldwide. On top of the weekly stipend that was quoted in your contracts, you will receive performance royalties from your cover song recordings,” Minako said.

“Holy shit are you _kidding_ me?” Guang Hong said, causing everyone in the room to crack up laughing.

“Seriously though, that's already more than any of us ever thought we'd have,” Sara said, getting a bit teary as everything began to hit her.

“It's an amazing opportunity no matter how you look at it. You'll all have international exposure. Even if you don't win, there is something to be gained from all of this, so from here on in you'll want to take every week very seriously,” Celestino said. “This is a crash course to the big leagues.”

“So, now that you all have that to consider, you may have been wondering what will happen now, in the interim time between today and the first live show, which is at the end of January, a whole two months from now,” Morooka said. “Well, don't think you're getting off easy, because you're about to be very busy. You'll get about a week to 10 days off to regroup, but then we'll be doing a lot of video work for blurbs we'll use throughout the season, including bits for the first show and your biographies for the website. You'll be recording your first week songs, and we have a few days of media planned: interviews for television, radio, and online. You'll be getting media training, more in-depth styling and image building, more vocal lessons with Lilia to help preserve your voices, and more performance input from Emil.”

“Well I guess we better get used to our hotel then,” Victor said with a smirk. “Can we each get our own rooms at least?”

Everyone in the room was brought to laughter by Victor's sass before Morooka spoke again. “We will actually be doing better than that. You all need to go and pack, because you'll be moving into your new home for the duration tonight.”

“So a better hotel?” Phichit grinned. “Can I get a room with a Jacuzzi?” Everyone broke into laughter again at that.

“Well, sort of,” Morooka said with a smile. “The bus leaves in an hour, you'll see then. And as with your hotel rooms, this place will be off-limits to cameras. There are also accommodations for Yura's chaperon Nikolai.” Both Yura and Nikolai raised their eyebrows at that.

“Don't worry guys, we've got you covered,” Minako said. “Enjoy your time off before we put you all back to work again.”

“Get some rest everyone,” Celestino grinned, “and we'll see you in January for the recording sessions and dress rehearsals. Seung Gil, don't you and your people work them too hard in the meantime.”

“Oh, we won't... too much,” he grinned. “But right now, I'm calling Hollywood Week a wrap.”

Phichit suddenly burst out in an operatic, “angels singing” note which melded into the “Hallelujah Chorus”, causing everyone to completely lose it and crack up laughing.

“Oh man,” Celestino said to Minako as they headed over to say their so-long-for-nows to the contestants. “I really can't wait for January. This group is going to be be a blast.”

  
  


All of the contestants had an hour to clear out of their hotel rooms and pack up before meeting in the lobby with Seung Gil and a camera crew in tow; they would be accompanying them to get their reactions upon seeing the house for the first time, the only time they'd be allowed to film the top 12 in their new home. The shuttle bus was quite empty now after the final eliminations, and as such they all were told to spread out among the seats so the camera crew could easily focus on them as they all chattered away, wondering where they were going. The city was already dark as they headed up into the Hollywood Hills, everyone watching out of the windows to try to figure out what was going on.

Victor was sitting up near the front of the bus on his own, with Mila paired off with Sara and Yura with Otabek and Nikolai, still trying to process everything that had happened in the course of just one day, let alone the entire week. The realization was finally setting in that he'd made it to the top twelve, but it all still felt exceptionally surreal.

He tried to push the thought out of his mind that he really had no one to call to tell even if it had been allowed at this stage. The two people he'd have loved to call the most would find out on their own, if they cared to watch at all.

Some laughter broke him from his thoughts and he turned his head over toward where, across and one seat behind him Yuri and Phichit were chatting, having stuck together as always. Wherever they were going, Victor hoped he'd have more time to really get to know Yuri. He knew they'd be busy with everything they were obligated to do for the show on top of their performances, but hopefully there would be a chance during the time off they had coming up.

He'd just gotten out his phone and was about to scroll through his Twitter feed, when JJ's shout of “Are you serious??” and Leo's “holy shit!” brought him to attention. He got up and moved over to the empty seat on his right, just in front of Phichit and Yuri, who also had looks of shock on their faces as the bus pulled in to their destination.

They had pulled up in front of a gigantic, sprawling mansion that was invitingly lit inside and out. Victor was pretty sure he'd never seen a house this big in person; it was the kind of thing he'd seen in magazines and online, the dream houses of megastars. Everyone gathered their luggage with the help of the crew members and filed into the front door, where two impressive, ornate staircases wound upward on either side of the door and a cavernous foyer opened out before them. The entire group stopped, completely in awe of this single room.

“This... is where we're going to _live?_ ” Leo finally said.

“Yes, this will be your home for the duration of your time on the show, however long that ends up being for each of you,” Seung Gil said. “It's pretty massive, but it means you'll all have a good amount of privacy when you need it.”

Just then, everyone was alerted by the sound of scuffling on the hardwood floor, followed by a bark, and all were confused when a huge rust-colored standard poodle came flying at them, having gotten away from the person who'd been handling him; he made a beeline for one contestant in particular.

“Makkachin!!” Victor cried, dropping to one knee and opening his arms as the dog practically knocked him over, in full spazzout mode as he whimpered and nearly wagged his own tail off.

“Awwww is that your dog?” Mila asked.

“Yes,” Victor laughed. “I was wondering if I'd have time to see him before we started working.” He said hello to his friend who had been taking care of the dog as he walked up to them.

“Well, you did mention it at one point that you'd brought him,” Seung Gil noted. “We figured if your other housemates don't mind, you could keep him with you. Might help you all to have a mascot around.”

Victor's eyes went wide then. “Seriously? Oh... I don't know...”

His thought was cut short when suddenly Makkachin suddenly yipped and took off at top speed, jumping up into Yuri, who was just startled enough to slip on the polished wood floor and land unceremoniously on his butt, after which the dog pounced and started licking him frantically.

“Makka! Down!” Victor said, trying not to laugh as he hurried over to get the dog off of Yuri, who was laughing and half-wrestling with Makkachin.

“Well I guess that's one yes vote,” Chris laughed. “I don't have a problem with it though.” As Victor calmed the dog down Chris took it upon himself to take an informal vote, whereupon everyone agreed to let the dog stay.

Victor helped Yuri up with a laugh after commanding Makkachin to sit. “Sorry about that. He certainly seems to like you though.”

Yuri's soft smile in return seemed a bit melancholy as he looked over at the dog. “My dog was a toy version of him. Same color too. They say animals can sense when you're accepting of them, so who knows.” Victor was about to say something more when everyone began to gather their things to head upstairs to figure out sleeping arrangements; it wasn't lost on him when Yuri pulled away, hurrying over to grab his guitar, backpack and suitcase to follow everyone up. The cameramen filmed them all heading upstairs, then began to rove around to get shots of the common areas of the house for later use.

Seung Gil had been right about the rooms being spacious. Each bedroom was easily large enough to hold four people, but the nine rooms were set up with two beds each. The group began to split up, with obvious pairs like Mila and Sara heading to one room and Phichit and Yuri to another. After a bit of discussion Yura opted to room with Otabek upstairs, while a room downstairs that might as well have been a small apartment was designated for Nikolai, affording him privacy while still being nearby as Yura's chaperon as required by the producers, despite his insistence that he felt Yura could more than likely take care of himself.

Victor had just set down his belongings next to the bed in the room he'd chosen when Chris poked his head in the doorway, gesturing to the other empty bed in the room.

“Is this bed taken?” he asked. “Oh well, it is now.” Victor broke into laughter as Chris dragged his luggage in, with Makkachin sniffing around frantically.

“Oh dear. I have a cat at home. I don't know if he can smell her but I wouldn't be surprised if some fur traveled along with me,” he laughed as he ruffled the fuzz atop Makkachin's head.

“He's pretty good at picking things like that up, so I wouldn't be surprised,” Victor said as he first sat, then flopped backwards spread-eagle onto the bed.

“Oh, is all that for me? You shouldn't have,” Chris teased, bringing Victor to laughter again; he then turned onto his side and propped his head on one hand.

“Hey, did you ever figure out what was up with Ketty?” Victor asked. “She certainly didn't seem like the same person from the rest of the week when she left.”

Chris sighed then as he sat on his bed. “Mila did some detective work for me and talked to a couple of the people Ketty was friendly with that were still moving out when we were earlier. Apparently... because of the group rounds, she had developed a 'thing' for me, and her Showcase song was supposed to be dedicated to me... before she heard my song for Matheu.”

Victor's eyebrows raised then. “Iiiiii'm thinking you dodged a bullet then, all things considered.”

Chris was the one laughing this time. “Oh dear god right?? I mean, I get that this entire week was stressful and all but just because we connected for the group rounds didn't mean I wanted to date her.”

“Restraining order?” Victor teased.

Chris snorted with laughter then. “I'll keep it in mind!” he shot back. “But honestly, I think everything just caught up with her and she cracked. She really is a sweet person normally. It was probably just all too much for her.”

Meanwhile a few doors down the long corridor of second-floor rooms, Phichit and Yuri had chosen one that shared the same side of the house as Victor and Chris', but was a bit smaller and more cozy, with deep earth tones and a fireplace that Phichit questioned whether or not they'd actually need, considering they were in California. As Yuri began to unpack Phichit dove onto his bed with a groan.

“I really want to explore this house. But I'm also so ridiculously tired,” he said. “And after a week of a hard hotel bed this one feels like a cloud.”

“I think we'll probably all get some decent sleep tonight,” Yuri said. “But I'll probably check it out a bit more first. I think our entire apartment back in Detroit could fit into this bedroom.”

“Seriously!!” Phichit agreed. “It will be just like living back in Detroit... but not.”

Yuri laughed then. “Definitely not!”

Just then Leo, who had found himself a room with Guang Hong, poked his head in their door.

“Dude! You have got to see the pool table! And the pool! There's a pond with fish in it! And a waterfall! This place is nuts!”

“Okay, I think I can wait on my nap,” Phichit said. “Let's go check this out!”

  
  


The house quieted down a bit once the production team took its leave for the night. Continued exploration had found the gorgeous kitchen stocked with food and drink, and a sitting area with a bar that surprisingly was resplendent with spirits (a brand of which Sara noted she'd seen the logo of in a few places during Hollywood Week). While most of the cast were just below drinking age or younger, Chris and Victor had cracked open a bottle of champagne and had gone out to the pool, where both took advantage of the warm California night to have a swim.

In the meantime Yuri had indulged in a bottle of wine he'd found in the bar and was feeling pretty warm and fuzzy as well. He and Phichit were still exploring the house and had found a gym which, aside from the usual fitness equipment, was something that both had them quite amused.

“Do you think they put this here because of Chris?” Phichit said as he appraised the pole that went from floor to ceiling.

“I don't know. It looks like it's part of the gym normally,” Yuri said. “I mean, it is great exercise.”

“Wonder if we can get Chris to show us some moves,” Phichit wondered.

Yuri looked out the floor-to-ceiling windows to the pool, where Victor and Chris were taking creatively-posed photos of each other with their phones, clearly getting along quite well. He swallowed down the tightness that formed in his throat at the sight. “Maybe. Who knows.”

“Didn't you take some pole dancing for fun?” Phichit asked.

“Yeah, I did once I switched majors to music and wasn't dancing as much. I wanted to keep in shape. It was harder than I thought it would be at first but I liked it. The classes ended a few weeks before my recitals, but I had stopped going before that because I got too busy.” He appraised the pole thoughtfully. “Maybe I'll stretch out a bit and see how much I remember.”

“What are you boys up to?” They both turned at Mila's voice as she came into the gym with Sara.

“Yuri's going to show me some pole dancing moves!” Phichit said with a grin; Yuri shot him a glare in response, having already considered changing his mind when the two women had walked in.

“No shit Yuri, you pole dance?” Mila asked.

“Not really, I just took the classes for fitness,” Yuri replied hurriedly.

“I think you should show us,” Sara grinned. “Are you as good as Chris?”

“I don't know! I've never seen him on it!” Yuri said, face flushing.

“We looked up some videos online. He's really good,” Mila said.

“Aw come on Yuri, let's see some moves!” Sara grinned.

Yuri sighed; he was pretty sure there was no way out of this one. “All right... Let me stretch out first.”

Outside in the pool Victor and Chris had the bottle of champagne nearly gone. After a few more creative poses they both climbed up and sat on the edge of the pool to gather their heads, both with a decent buzz. They were chatting idly when some movement in the windows of the gym, which they could see into from the pool, caught Victor's eye. He looked up and burst into laughter.

“Oh my god. Chris, I think you have competition,” he said, pointing at the wall of glass windows. Inside the gym Mila, Sara and Phichit were watching and cheering on Yuri, who was executing some positions on the pole, seeming to be somewhat experienced at it. The position he was currently in had his t-shirt riding up, exposing some very defined dancer's-physique abs.

“Oh my god you are _not_ serious!” Chris laughed. “Did anyone know about this hidden skill?”

“I certainly didn't!” Victor said; Chris noted the tone was just a bit annoyed at that notion.

“Come on. I need to assert my dominance,” Chris laughed as he stood up, toweling off and throwing his short, satiny robe on, leaving it hanging open. Victor followed suit, throwing on a fluffy terrycloth robe; both men then headed inside. Upon entering the gym Yuri's concentration was on doing a reverse sunwheel, spinning down the pole until he ended on the floor facing the windows; he was startled when someone behind him began clapping loudly.

“Bravo, cheri! Very nice form. Are you sure you don't have a secret profession?”

Yuri whirled around at Chris' voice, already prepared to be mortified but even more so when he saw Victor next to him, both of them in robes that hung open. Yuri was really trying very hard to not look at Victor's ridiculous dancer's body. It was obvious he had kept up with it.

“Let me show you how it's done,” Chris said as he walked over to the pole which Yuri hastily left. Chris then began what appeared to be choreography from one of his programs, his skill at an obviously very high level as he ended upside-down, legs spread-eagle at 90 degree angles to his hips and parallel to the floor.

“Damn, it's hot in here I think I need to leave,” Mila teased; Sara pretended to faint while Phichit was clapping frantically.

Yuri, however, had found himself distracted as Victor had shed his robe and was striking some ballet poses. Just when Yuri thought he'd quit Victor broke into some choreography, dancing with the fluidity and grace only someone with experience from a young age would have. Yuri stood up, watching carefully until there was an opportunity to join him. Even though Victor was still somewhat buzzed, he recognized the choreography Yuri had begun immediately: the woman's part from the pas de deux from the second act of “Gissele”. He waited until the appropriate time and joined him, dancing the man's part which essentially was to assist Yuri in the various positions by holding him by the waist or hand. While Yuri wasn't going en pointe, he still executed the arabesque positions and lifts flawlessly and they ended together with Victor on one knee, Yuri standing behind him as they flowed effortlessly into the ending pose.

It had been a while since Victor had danced, and for those few moments the euphoria he'd always felt had taken over, the music he also knew well playing in his mind. As he came back to his senses he turned around to see Yuri completely red-faced, but not from any amount of exertion of the dance.

“You know 'Gissele'?” Victor asked.

“Y-yeah... I was in a production of it in the year of dance I took at college. I was in the corps de ballet, but I liked challenging myself by learning the women's parts for practice.”

“You were stunning,” Victor said. “I would love to see videos of you dancing if you have any.”

Yuri's face was bright red, his head still fuzzy from the wine. The realization was setting in that he'd actually danced with Victor, something he'd likely hadn't done if he'd been sober. “I... don't think I have any really. Not recent ones anyway. My mom probably has some from my recitals in Japan but that's about it.”

“Well... maybe we can dance together again. I'd like that very much,” Victor smiled. When Yuri seemed to be blatantly trying to not look at him, Victor suddenly realized he was standing there just about naked, and his own face went red as well.

“Oh god, look at me, how extra,” he laughed as he looked at his reflection in the windows; he then grabbed his robe and threw it on, tying it closed.

Chris had draped himself over a chair in the room. “You won't hear me complaining. I feel like I need a cigarette after that and I don't even smoke.” Sara squealed with laughter then.

“Seriously guys... that was... kinda hot,” Phichit said.

Yuri had sobered up just enough to be completely mortified as it hit him what had just happened. “I... think I better go to bed...”

“Aww Yuri stay and show us some more moves,” Mila said. “It's too early to sleep!”

“Uh, no, I'm good,” he stammered; he then abruptly turned and headed out the door, leaving everyone in the room a bit confused; a few moments later Phichit took off after him.

“I wonder what got into him,” Chris said as he walked over to the pole to play around with it some more.

“Probably more about what didn't,” Mila giggled.

“Aww, he's really shy,” Sara said. “He gets confident for a bit then thinks about things too much and gets nervous about it. He'll be okay.”

Victor sighed heavily then. “I'm going to call it a night too. I'll see you all tomorrow,” he said. Before anyone could try to convince him to stay he left as well, heading up to his room. Changing into pajama pants he flopped onto the bed, upon which Makkachin jumped up and flopped down next to him.

He'd gotten Yuri to open up a few times now, but this... this had been something more. The chemistry that had passed between them during the dance was ridiculous. He had to admit he was a bit shaken himself by it; he knew he'd already been attracted to Yuri, but this had taken it to another level. He wanted to talk with him more, but he knew Yuri was probably too embarrassed to take it any further tonight; on top of it, the alcohol they'd both consumed was still enough to make them both highly emotional. And there was the fact that they'd be spending the next few months in the same house, as Victor was pretty well certain he and Yuri would be in the competition for quite some time to come, if not all the way to the end. Making things awkward or uncomfortable now wouldn't go well at all.

“You really should have stayed. I did some of my best pole work yet. At least the ladies appreciated it.”

Victor hadn't realized he'd dozed off until Chris' voice startled him awake; he wasn't even sure how much time had passed.

“Ah! Uh... I was too tired to appreciate it. I'm sure I'll get another chance.” He reached over to turn off the light mounted over his bed.

“Oh you certainly seem like you'll be a fun roommate,” Chris teased. “Did you see Yuri anymore?”

“No, I didn't go looking for him,” Victor said, his tone a bit more irritated now. “Just let it be, Chris.”

Chris sighed dramatically. “Fiiiiiiine. But I predict you two will be doing the pas de deux of love before we even start the live shows.”

Victor's eyes flew open then. “ _Chris!”_

Chris broke into laughter as he flopped down into his bed completely nude, giving Victor a good view of his extremely toned derriere before pulling the comforter over himself. “I'm just saying!”

“Go to sleep,” Victor snarked, turning his back to the other man.

But Victor found himself unable to take his own advice as he still lay awake an hour later, unable to get the events of the night out of his mind enough to drift off until exhaustion and the last bit of his lingering buzz finally overtook him.

  
  


“Seriously Yuri, you looked so good together. He couldn't take his eyes off of you.”

“Shut _up_ Phichit!!”

Yuri had been hiding beneath the thick comforter on his bed since they'd returned to their room, completely mortified over what had happened in the gym. He'd danced with an almost completely naked Victor, and even though he was terrified about what everyone would say about it come the morning... he found he didn't regret a thing. He didn't dare admit that to Phichit though, who was already going over the top worse than a fandom shipper in overdrive.

“He's got it _so bad_ for you Yuri. Everyone in the room saw it. You should just tell him how you feel,” Phichit said from his own bed, where he was bundled up in his own bedding.

“I can't do that! I don't even know what my feelings _are!_ ” Yuri replied. “I don't even know why I started dancing. I guess... I guess I've missed it. He was so much better than me though, you could tell just by the little bit he did. He looked...” He stopped himself then, pulling the comforter over his head completely.

“Yuri, if you don't say something to him the next few months are going to be insane,” he said.

“They will be way worse if I _do_ say something. I have to be professional about all of this.”

“Just don't shut him out like you have when someone's had a crush on you before.”

“What? I do not!”

“Yeah you do. But that's not going to work in this situation. We're all going to be together for at least the next two months minimum, and you and he will probably be in this competition till the end. You will have to deal with it sooner or later.”

Yuri flipped over with his back to Phichit then, turning off the light on the nightstand. “I can't think about this anymore. I need to sleep. Hopefully he'll have been drunk enough that he won't even remember it.”

“Oh please Yuri. He's not going to forget it. No chance in hell.”

“Whatever. I'm going to sleep,” Yuri said. “Goodnight Phichit.”

Phichit did his best to stifle the giggle that slipped out but failed anyway. “Goodnight Yuri.”

And then it was Yuri's turn to be kept awake by the lingering visions of the night's events. Victor's hands had felt secure even with the buzz they both were harboring, his arm looped around his waist, supporting Yuri as he hit the positions that were second nature to him despite quite a bit of time away; he'd really wished Victor would have held him a bit closer... well, a lot closer...

Yuri clamped his eyes shut, squeezing them hard until he saw stars. He couldn't let his heart get in the way. Not now. He just really, really hoped that Victor wouldn't make things awkward in the morning.

_No. He wouldn't do that. He's too sweet. Too nice. He's so amazing... he's perfect..._

Yuri sighed hard then, burying his face in his pillow. It was going to be a very long and challenging few months... and not just because of the musical competition.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I know nothing about pole dancing or ballet that Google hasn't told me. :x I used [this video](https://youtu.be/XOAFsU2kWPw?t=1m30s) for reference on Yuri and Victor's dance, and [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gKGj4FJ1Jg) for Yuri's move on the pole, as well as some quick lookups of technical terms for each discipline.
> 
> The mansion is very loosely based on [these](https://www.popsugar.com/home/Photos-American-Idol-Mansion-14858852) [photos](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1364738/American-Idol-2011-Inside-12m-Bel-Air-mansion-finalists-live.html) of the mansion the contestants from the 2011 season stayed in. I don't think there was a gym in this house, though there was one in a different mansion from a subsequent season.
> 
> American Idol trope reference of the week: Very often, contestants will get stuck in a rut as far as their song choices, doing things that are safe that they know will work for them to get through to the next round. Some contestants would be called out on it, and some wouldn't. From my many years watching it, it seemed like the ones who got called out in a negative way were the ones who used it as an obvious crutch, while more experienced contestants could stay in their genre while switching things up enough to keep it interesting (see: David Cook rearranging songs to fit his style, although even he got called on it two weeks into the live shows; he then answered with [Billie Jean](https://youtu.be/-xrctnywpcU) and was never challenged on it again). (The DC video I linked is also a good example of the video packages the contestants record for the shows.)
> 
> As always, thanks for reading, commenting, kudos etc. I really appreciate it! :)
> 
> ETA: to clarify, the fic isn't going on hiatus till January, that's just where the story will pick up in the next chapter. :)


	7. Live Shows - Week One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morooka: Last week, we revealed the final twelve contestants that will be vying for the coveted title of the first ever Grand Prix Superstar. Our international Superstars have been culled from more than 500,000 auditioners and hail from all over the globe, from the US, to Russia, Italy, Japan, China, Switzerland, Canada, Thailand and Kazakhstan. Their musical influences are as varied as their cultural backgrounds, and we've seen some fantastic performances so far. But now comes the true test. For the first time tonight, they will be performing LIVE in front of the world, as the show is simulcast and simul-streamed for more than one billion people worldwide on television and online. And YOU will be the one to decide who stays and goes home, as the viewers' votes will be the final word. Hold onto your seats because WE ARE LIVE WORLDWIDE! THIS... IS SUPERSTAR GRAND PRIX!!!

**The Next Morning**

Yuri opened his eyes slowly, but he could already feel the pounding headache he knew was there because he'd neglected to drink enough water and eat something before he'd flopped into bed. He'd been too flustered to think of much more than Victor and the dance of the night before, and as it came back into his mind now he buried himself under the blankets again. He should have known better than to drink, but at least he hadn't gotten insanely drunk like when he'd been trying to deal with his stress and anxiety in college. There were a few nights that the only reason he knew what had happened was because Phichit never didn't take photos or video if there was something worthy of it, and of that he wasn't very proud. He might have drank more if they hadn't found the gym, which was a good thing. But now, after what did end up happening, there were a million questions in his mind that he wasn't quite ready to deal with.

He picked up his phone and checked the time: 7:00 am. The house sounded completely quiet, or at least what he could hear so far. He had been happy for the time off they were given, but now it meant that he'd be near Victor, and knowing the Russian there would be very little chance of _not_ discussing what had happened between them. It wasn't even like something more intense than dancing happened, and yet it most certainly felt that way. Yuri could feel the anxiousness already collecting in his chest. It was obvious they were attracted to each other, but now wasn't exactly the best time to get involved with someone... especially someone from a completely different country. There would be all _that_ to sort out too...

 _Stop it. He hasn't even said he likes you and you're acting like you're moving in with him._ Yuri drew in a deep breath, trying to calm his already racing mind. As much as he wanted to, he was already too awake to fall back asleep. They didn't have any obligations for today so far as anyone knew, so he could always take a nap later on. Rising slowly so his head didn't pound too much he slipped out of bed, then out of the room, quietly enough that Phichit, bundled up in his own bed, didn't even stir. He made his way downstairs to the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water from the refrigerator, then looking around for the coffee maker. Finding a Keurig and then a stash of just about every flavor of K-cup imaginable he made himself a cup, then wandered out onto the patio where the sun was just beginning to break over the horizon, the air pleasantly warm. He sat down at the table and began scrolling through his phone to catch up from overnight, resting his chin on his hand.

“Yuuurriiiii why are you sleeping on the table?”

Yuri's eyes flew open what felt like a second later to find Victor pulling the other chair out and sitting down with his own cup of coffee. The sky was now completely light, with the golden morning sun just above the trees whose tops were visible from the second-floor patio. He tapped the home button on his phone and found he'd been asleep for an hour. His full mug of coffee was cold.

“Oh... I... well... I wasn't sleeping when I sat down, or at least I didn't mean to. I was so wide awake laying in bed I figured I was up for the day,” Yuri replied, his face flushing.

“I'm not sure how I'm awake yet either. I think we're all just used to having to be up early. It's probably better to keep to the schedule if we're going to be working soon,” Victor replied.

“Mmm, true. But not gonna lie, I really want to sleep till noon just one day before all of it starts,” Yuri said. “I came right here from my final semester ending. When I told my professors what was happening and that I might not be able to come back, they all offered me ways to finish early because it was such a huge opportunity. I had almost everything done anyway because I knew it was coming. But I literally did my final recital less than a week before we left.”

“I don't blame you. For me though, it's been nice to be busy. My days were filled with eight hours of teaching dance and a couple hours of voice lessons, and then I was on my own. And I didn't have a full day every day. That's how I got so much done for the channel,” Victor said. “But this is what I've wanted forever, so I'm ready to go even if I'm tired.”

“I haven't had time to really think about exactly what I wanted after college,” Yuri said. “I just knew I wanted it to be related to music.”

“We're all from such different lives,” Victor said. “It's crazy that we've all gotten along so well.”

“For the most part anyway. I think the jury's still out for a few people on JJ,” Yuri smirked.

“I spotted the insecurity a mile away,” Victor noted. “He puts up a confident front but because he's pretending it doesn't come off as confidence. I hope this experience teaches him he doesn't need to do that.”

Yuri nodded as he contemplated his cold coffee; he decided to pretend it was iced and took a long drink, finding it not too bad.

“I would really like to see you dance some more,” Victor said after a bit of silence. “The bit from last night was really great, and you weren't even being serious about it.”

“You looked... you danced amazingly too,” Yuri said, feeling the flush returning to his face. “I feel like you should be in the Bolshoi, not here.”

It was Victor's turn to hide behind a sip of coffee, his eyes unreadable for a few moments. “The thing about dance is it's a world that can really drag you down quickly. You can work hard from the time you can barely walk and be everything people want you to be, but a lot of the time your destiny comes down to one person behind a table in an audition room. Sometimes they realize the effect their words have on a young person with dreams, and they inspire them. And sometimes they enjoy crushing them just as much.”

Yuri realized he'd hit a sore spot and felt his stomach clench. “I'm... I'm sorry, I didn't mean --”

Victor shook his head then. “No, it's fine. I just let those things drive me. You have to, or they'll destroy you.”

Yuri nodded again. “Been there, done that, bought the t-shirt and wore it out,” he replied.

“I never thought I'd leave St. Petersburg. Not that I didn't want to, it was just... comfortable. I always thought that even if I became famous in some way, I'd always go back. But now that I've finally made it out, I'm starting to question that. I'm going to see what, and who, this experience brings me, and take it from there.” He finished his coffee; as he set the cup down, he met eyes with Yuri. “You?”

Yuri felt his heart flip. There was no pressure in Victor's voice, no underlying insinuations in his words. Not even an attempt at a pointed discussion 'about last night'. Maybe they were on the same page after all.

“That actually sounds like a really good plan,” Yuri replied. “Mind if I copy it?”

Victor smiled softly then, a wink following it. “Not at all,” he answered.

  


**Six Weeks Later – Top 12 Reveal Party, Los Angeles, California**

“Okay everyone! The episode has just ended. As soon as the media are assembled for the red carpet we'll be heading in.”

Seung Gil was standing at the front of the party bus that was outfitted for a celebration. The Top 12 Superstars, as they were now being called, had been treated to a tour of Hollywood as they waited for the final episode to be screened for a private party for media from around the world. They'd gotten to watch the broadcast, called the “Green Mile” episode, from the satellite television on the bus, which was now parked in front of the Four Seasons Hotel and waiting for the signal from the event's organizers that it was time to bring out the guests of honor.

Yuri watched out the tinted windows as the photographers assembled, all jostling for the best position. A few moments after they'd all settled, the stretch limousine that had stopped ahead of the bus produced Morooka, Minako, Celestino and Yakov. On either end of the red carpet were two roped-off areas with burly security guards where what looked to be about 300 fans had gathered, sitting on bleachers. It looked like the awards show parties Yuri had seen on television, and it took a few moments for him to wrap his brain around the fact that it was quite literally all for them.

Seung Gil was monitoring the proceedings from the door of the bus, listening to something in his headset, then turned back to the Superstars.

“Okay. They want each contestant to come out individually so they all get the same attention. When you go out, just follow Yuuto and Satsuki's directions, and you'll be fine. Just remember what you've all been taught about the media meet and greets: Smile, be polite, keep any answers to questions brief. We'll be taking each of you right to the green room and once you're all in, we'll do the press conference.” He paused, looking around at everyone then and for a moment, as he'd begun to over the course of the past six weeks of working with the contestants to get them prepared for the whirlwind to come, Seung Gil broke business mode for a moment.

“Don't worry guys... you'll all do great. You've got this. Yu and Satty are there to have your back if anyone gets too pushy. The most important thing? Make sure you wave to the fans. Make eye contact, say hello and thank you even if they can't hear you. Blow kisses if you want to” – at this, he nodded to Victor, who grinned back; it had been a running joke over the course of their media training between them – “but just make sure you give them the most attention. This is where the campaigning begins. They won't just be watching your performances, they'll be watching everything you say and do, and what you do off the stage will affect you as much as every note you sing. Remember that, okay?”

Everyone nodded as Seung Gil touched a hand to one side of his headset.

“All right, here we go. Leo, you're up.”

Leo rose from his seat, looking dapper in dark skinny jeans, a loosely-buttoned shirt and a black velvet blazer, his outfit vaguely pirate-esque. With one last deep breath, he moved into the doorway of the bus.

The other eleven Superstars' eyes went wide as even before Leo stepped onto the sidewalk, the fans exploded in cheers and screams; a few even had signs. Yuuto followed him closely as he began his walk down the carpet, stopping at first to wave to the first group of fans and yelling back at the shouted and screamed multiple “good luck's” and “I love you Leo!!!!'s”. Before he got too distracted Yu nudged him on to a spot marked out with an X on the carpet that was in front of a backdrop patterned with sponsor logos as well as the logo of the show. There he paused as a hundred flashbulbs started going off and the photographers kept screaming random words: “Leo! Over here! Give me a smile! You look great tonight!!” After a few minutes he made his way toward the second group of fans, where Satsuki waited to guide him the rest of the way; it was then that Seung Gil cued Kenjirou to head out, the process repeated.

As much as he'd wanted to, Victor had only indulged in one glass of champagne and a few hors d'oeuvres as the bus had made its way through the city. He'd been used to performing in front of people, but this was another animal entirely. As Guang Hong was called off the bus next he watched the reactions from the the crowds of fans and media. There was excitement, but it was very obvious that there was already a pecking order to be had.

“Is it just me or are they... kinda picking favorites?” JJ asked as Otabek was called next.

“How so?” Mila asked.

“I mean, look how they're calling us. It's like the competition has already begun. Everything seems to be for maximum impact,” JJ said, his tone seeming a bit uncertain, as if he'd rethought saying what he'd really wanted to say.

“They want who they think are the biggest stars to go last,” Yura said. “It was like that on the auditions when they showed them, and all the episodes from Hollywood Week. There were people they barely showed and people they showed a lot. At least you can't say the producers don't know what's up.”

“To be fair, a lot of the popularity or what comes off as popularity, comes from our social media counts,” Phichit said. “You can't tell me they're not watching each of the hashtags they gave us tonight at the end of the show to see who's getting tweeted about the most.”

JJ was called next; as if a switch was flipped, he turned on his megawatt smile and jumped up, heading off the bus. The crowd cheered a bit louder than it had been so far.

“He worries too much about stuff like that,” Mila noted as JJ began the walk down the red carpet. “He's always concerned about who is getting the most attention. He needs to just worry about himself and his performances.”

“I just think he's really nervous about everything,” Sara said as Yura was called next. She was about to continue her thought when the roar from the crowd outside suddenly amped up in volume even more. Phichit looked out the window to see the fans – predominantly teen girls – going completely insane for Yura, who had fallen right into the “bad boy” persona he'd seemed to develop during their media training, flashing the “rock hands” gesture and sticking his tongue out.

“Man, those girls are eating this _up!_ ” Sara laughed.

“He's the only teen in the competition, and a hot one at that. The girls are going to flock to him in droves,” Christophe noted.

Sara was called next and she rose, suddenly feeling a bit nervous. Victor reached out to give her a high five. “Go get 'em tiger,” he grinned. “You better hope all the boys don't faint because you're looking pretty hot,” he added as he gestured to the deep navy blue minidress liberally encrusted with iridescent rhinestones, making her look like a walking night sky.

“Oh well, it's not the boys I'm concerned about anyway,” she winked; at that Mila reached up, giving her hand a squeeze before she headed to the door of the bus. Mila watched out of the window as Sara began her trip down the red carpet, a dreamy smile crossing her face.

“So I take it things are heating up?” Christophe asked with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

“Chris!” Victor laughed. “Nosy ass.”

“Actually I've developed quite a taste for Italian cuisine,” Mila grinned; Yuri clamped a hand over his mouth as he gasped, Victor broke into laughter, Chris just smiled knowingly, and Phichit's face was frozen in an exact impression of a surprise-face emoji complete with saucer-sized eyes. It was probably best that Mila was called next, as it gave the guys time to regain their composure.

“I knew it!” Chris said as she stepped off the bus to an even louder ovation. “I definitely heard some delicious sounds coming from their room a few nights ago. I was quite tempted to press an ear to the door, but I decided to have at least some decorum.”

“Hush, I can't deal with thinking about this right now!” Victor said, burying his face in his hands. “My brain is going to explode.”

“That's just... yeah I'm not going there,” Phichit said, taking a swig from his water bottle.

“They make a cute couple,” Yuri said as Phichit's name was called. He reached up to give Phichit a handshake and watched his friend bound off the bus excitedly.

The three men's heads all swiveled in surprise as the fans went absolutely batshit insane when Phichit appeared. They'd all been seated on the far side of the bus and went over to the windows to see a ridiculous amount of swooning from many of the ladies, but more than a few male fans as well.

“Oh boy, Mr. Personality is winning the world over,” Chris grinned. “I'm really not surprised.” Seung Gil then called for Chris to come up front to prepare to step out. “Ah. Time to meet my adoring fans!” he said with an exaggerated flourish that made Victor give an equally exaggerated eyeroll. Chris stepped into the doorway and there was even more bedlam, the screams getting that much louder – and decidedly more masculine than feminine.

Victor noticed Yuri wringing his hands and slipped an arm around the other's shoulders.

“You'll be fine. You don't have to talk to anyone here. Just smile and wave,” Victor reassured him.

“I know,” Yuri said, taking a few deep breaths. “I guess I'll get better at it once we're doing it every week, but I just need to get through the first time.”

“That's what she said,” Victor grinned, attempting to break the tension; Yuri broke into a snortlaugh.

“You are so damn cheesy 99.9 percent of the time it's a wonder you aren't followed by every mouse in California,” Yuri quipped as Seung Gil called for him to come forward.

“Oh because that comeback wasn't 100% more cheesy!” Victor laughed; as Yuri headed toward the front of the bus, Victor grabbed one of the remaining glasses of champagne, deciding a good quick chug was necessary.

Seung Gil patted Yuri on the shoulder as he held his hand on the lever for the bus door. “Okay, ten seconds,” he noted, and began counting down. Yuri drew in one more deep breath and exhaled sharply just as the production manager reached “one” and opened the door.

The wall of sound that greeted Yuri was like nothing he'd ever heard even at a concert. He could hardly hear himself think or hear Yu next to him; he now knew why they'd been communicating in hand signals to each contestant. He followed Yu down to the first group of fans, who were all standing on the bleachers and screaming his name, some waving signs. He was regretting deciding to wear his glasses; not being able to make out faces probably would have helped a lot right about now. There was one girl in particular who was clearly Japanese, holding up a sign written in Kanji lettering that wished him good luck; he pointed at her and gave a little bow of thanks and almost became alarmed when the girl dropped the sign and screamed, holding her face in her hands. Her friend next to her pulled her into a tight hug; Yuri could see her mouth “oh my god he saw you!” as the Japanese girl burst into tears.

He felt his stomach tighten at that just as Yu touched his arm to get his attention, and he was actually grateful for the relative calm of the photographers. Somehow their continued pleas for him to look this way and that and the strobe-like flashing of the cameras was calmer than what he'd just seen. At least he felt confident in his outfit: black leather jeans and a midnight blue sweater that looked like it was painted on, hair gelled back and Anya's makeup magic making his eyes pop through his glasses. Another touch from Satty and he moved down to the second group of fans, who seemed to be a bit calmer as they were nearer to the security that waited at the entrance to the backstage area. He paused for a few moments to acknowledge them and just as he was signaled to make his way inside, he heard the fans down at the far end of the carpet explode, the sound coming down toward him like a wave as the fans he'd just passed joined in.

He turned to see Victor, the last off the bus, standing in the doorway for a moment before walking down, looking like a total rock star in his ripped jeans, black boots, flowy red and white tie-dyed shirt and the same leather jacket he'd worn for his first audition. He'd put on sunglasses and as he stopped at the first group of fans he took them off, gave his long bangs a flip, and flashed his trademark wink; Yuri was sure they were going to have to call paramedics by the volume and intensity of the screams.

As Yuri was nudged to go inside, having stayed to watch longer than he was supposed to the feeling of insanity rose, the fans losing their collective shit and even the photographers clamoring to get Victor's photo. As he was swallowed up by the foyer of the hotel and was led to the green room he mused to himself that his original thought about Victor still stood fast. If the entire world was as crazy as this little capsule of people over him, none of the rest of the Top 12 stood a chance. And he couldn't think of anyone who deserved it more.

  


The press conference was set up in a meeting room in the hotel, with the “green room” being a smaller conference room that afforded the twelve contestants some time to regroup after the bedlam of their entrance. There was another table laid out with hors d'oeurves and Yuri found himself drawn to the sushi, even if it wasn't exactly authentic Japanese. He and Phichit passed the time laughing about the very loose interpretations of the foods of their native countries they'd encountered in their time in the States with Mila and Sara until Seung Gil called them all to follow him in.

They were paused at a side entrance to the room while Morooka wrapped up the question and answer session with the judges, and Yuri peered over the assembled audience. They seemed to be all media, photographers and journalists, and Yuri was thankful for the respite before they entered the party. He wasn't looking forward to the mixing and mingling at all, already worried about being awkward; they'd been told there would be celebrities there and he really hoped he wouldn't freeze up if anyone was there he really liked.

Finally, Morooka introduced the Grand Prix Superstars and everyone headed onstage in the same order they'd walked the red carpet, the applause staying at a professional level though there were a few whoops and yeahs from some of the more casual journalists. Once everyone had their microphones clipped onto their shirts, Morooka instructed them to introduce themselves in turn. Everyone went down the line and Yuri felt himself already tensing; Victor seemed to notice out of the corner of his eye and slipped a hand behind Yuri, giving his forearm a reassuring squeeze as Chris said his name, city and country of residence, and kept it there as Yuri spoke.

“Yuri Katsuki, Hasetsu, Japan.” He felt Victor give his arm another squeeze before taking his hand away and focusing on the crowd.

“Victor Nikiforov, Saint Petersburg, Russia.”

The press conference was relatively innocuous, with Morooka asking most of the questions to keep things moving along. They talked mostly about their time in Los Angeles so far, which hadn't been as exciting as most of the press seemed to think it was. Because they'd been unable to risk being exposed before Hollywood Week and the Top 12 Reveal show aired, they'd been shuttled from the house to the studios in an unmarked bus with tinted windows so they weren't accidentally spotted en route. Even their shopping trips with Georgi for their wardrobes had been done after hours and in groups of two over a period of days; they were fortunate that Georgi had connections to basically every high-end retailer in Los Angeles, and most of his designer friends were more than happy to offer up their boutiques to help dress the most high-profile group of reality show contestants currently on the radar. They talked about the house and having Makkachin around, including some generic questions about their daily routines. Overall, the questions Morooka had laid out helped to set up each contestant's personality rather well.

The press questions were, as Morooka had advised them when they'd had their media training, very often ranging from completely lame (“Victor do you dye your hair or is it really that color?” “Kenjirou, did you and Yuri know each other before the show? No? Oh, I thought because you were both Japanese you would”) to attempts at personal even though it had been stated that personal lives were off-limits; they'd been instructed to reply as tactfully as possible to those unless they were okay with answering them. Finally the event wound down and they were led to the party, which was being held in the main ballroom.

The room had the atmosphere of a large club, with a DJ playing music and club-esque lighting, though the volume was such that it didn't necessitate screaming to be heard. Another thing they'd been advised to be careful of was talking too much; they would be starting on work for the first live show the next day and they would need their voices for that.

Yuri had tried to stay near Phichit as they began to rove around the room as instructed, but they were separated before long in the milling crowd. Yuri was stopped by what appeared to be more media people or guests of them as he wandered, already growing tired of the endless stream of well wishes and feeling awkward and shy every time he was told how amazing he was. He recognized some former contestants and winners of other reality singing shows, ones so far removed from their time on them that they stood out in their own right; Yuri was having a hard time realizing that he was now technically their peer, about to embark upon a journey that was likely very similar to their own. He heaved a sigh when he finally caught up to Phichit, who had just finished talking to someone and taking a selfie, giving the man and his companion each a hug before they took their leave.

“Yuri! Oh man that was one of the most famous singers to come from Thailand! He's the one that was the lead in the stage production of “The King and the Skater” in Bangkok! He's been living here for about a decade and requested an invite to this just so he could meet me! I feel like my heart's going to beat out of my chest!!” Phichit cried, so hyper his voice had reached that annoying tone that would prompt Yuri to chide him about using inside voices when they'd been back in Detroit.

“I haven't seen anyone really major,” Yuri replied. “Who's that that Victor's talking to over there?”

Phichit peered through the somewhat dim lighting. “Oh isn't that... holy shit is that the singer from the Goo Goo Dolls??”

Yuri blinked as the recognition dawned. “Oh wow it is! This is so... surreal,” he said, struggling to find the words.

“Yo Yuri my man, how you doin'?”

Yuri didn't immediately recognize the voice, but Phichit, who was looking behind him, looked like he'd just seen a ghost. Yuri drew in a breath and turned around...

…to see Bruno Mars standing in front of him, extending his hand for a shake. It took a moment for Yuri's brain to come back on line after katsuki.exe momentarily froze.

“H-hi! Uh, a little overwhelmed if I'm being honest,” Yuri blurted out. _Oh god, why did you say that?_ Bruno just grinned and gave his shoulder a pat.

“Ah, it gets easier the more you do it. They're throwing you to the wolves out here it seems like,” Bruno noted.

“Well they did give us some idea of what it would be like, but I kind of knew it wouldn't really give the full idea. But it is kind of crazy,” Yuri said.

“You came right out of college right?” Bruno asked, angling his head curiously.

“Yeah, I pretty much finished all my recitals and packed up to come here,” Yuri nodded. “I was cramming to get everything done so I didn't have a lot of time to think about it so it felt like it came up really fast.”

Bruno shook his head at that. “Damn, that's insane. And you've never done any performances outside of that before?”

“Coffee shops for tips on campus is about it,” Yuri said. “The goal was to get to a point like this, though I didn't see it happening this way.”

“Everyone finds their way differently. It used to be you had to work your way up and a lot of people still do. But shows like this get you out there and get people seeing you,” Bruno said. He then broke into a grin. “Man, when they aired your audition I had all my Hooligans blowing my Twitter telling me I had to see it. When they put it up on the website I checked it out and I was like, okay I see you!” He grinned, giving Yuri another, heartier clap on the shoulder; Yuri could feel himself blushing.

“I... well, it's a favorite song of mine and I knew it was good to sing because it's so challenging vocally,” Yuri said, trying to be careful of his words lest he start fanboying. “I kind of get into a zone when I sing it.”

Bruno nodded. “It's a really important song to me. That you dug into that and found those same emotions and put it out there so well tells me I'm doing something right. That's what you gotta make sure you do. You have to learn to touch people. It's not always about the performance, though you need to always take pride in that too. But you gotta make them feel it in here” – he patted his own chest – “and then you know you've hit it. That's what you work for. Make 'em scream, make 'em cry, make 'em feel like they lived those moments with you.”

Yuri was trying really, really hard to not faint. He was getting mentoring comments from one of his biggest idols. _Is this real right now?_ “I'll definitely remember that,” he nodded. “It's something I'm working on, coming out of my own shell. I hope to get there soon.”

“You won't have any problems,” Bruno grinned as he reached to clap Yuri's hand in another firm shake, giving his arm another pat. “You got this man! You got this!” Bruno's hyped tone made Yuri grin.

“That's it! Give 'em a smile and make the ladies swoon!” Bruno laughed; he then noticed Phichit holding his phone anxiously. “I think ya boy wants to take our picture, how bout it?” Before Yuri could answer Bruno had thrown an arm around Yuri's shoulders; Phichit took several pictures in quick succession, trying to keep his own hands from shaking. Yuri's heart was pounding out of his chest, and it only raced harder as Bruno pulled out his own phone and took a selfie with him.

“The Hooligans have been asking when we were going to meet. I'm gonna post this up on Instagram, they're gonna lose their shit!” he grinned. Just then Bruno's manager appeared from the crowd.

“Ah man I gotta get going. You take care and I'm gonna keep up on how you're doing. Just remember you got this!” Bruno said once more, leaning in to give Yuri a quick hug.

“Thank you so much,” Yuri finally said, still having trouble finding words. “It's been an honor to meet you, truly.”

“The pleasure was mine!” Bruno said as he began to be drawn away by his manager. “When you're done slaying this shit hit me up, we'll talk about touring!” And with one more grin he was pulled off into the crowd, with Yuri watching in stunned silence.

“Yuri... he wants you to tour with him,” Phichit said after a few moments.

“I... oh my god? I just met Bruno Mars? _He_ wanted a picture with _me??_ ” It began to hit Yuri and he felt himself starting to feel lightheaded. “I need a drink.”

As if on cue, a bottle of water was thrust into his hands; he looked up to see Victor there, grinning like a fool.

“Yuuuuriiiiii you met Bruno!! I talked to him when he first came in and the first thing he asked was where you were,” Victor said, wrapping an arm around his shoulders when he saw Yuri seemed a bit overwhelmed. “Come on, sit down for a few minutes. You all right?”

“I... I don't know,” Yuri said. “I... that just happened...”

Victor got Yuri sitting down at a table that was scattered with discarded champagne flutes and wrappers from the Superstar-themed cupcakes that had been laid out on a table nearby. Mila and Sara emerged from the crowd as well, hurrying over to them as Phichit sat down behind Yuri, giving his shoulders a massage to calm him down.

“Oh my god we saw you talking to Bruno!” Sara squealed. “Holy shit Yuri!!!”

“This is all so crazy,” Phichit said, shaking his head. “People want to meet us like we're the stars.”

“Well we are,” Victor said. “Right now this show is the biggest thing on television. People around the world know who we are... and this is only the beginning.” He rubbed circles between Yuri's shoulder blades with the palm of his hand, urging Yuri to drink his water.

Yura and Otabek came over then; Yura's eyes were wide. “I just talked to the guy who sang “Welcome to the Madness”! He's my favorite singer and he told me I'm the shit!” Otabek was laughing and grinning at Yura's very animated reactions; Mila grabbed the teen and crushed him in a hug, laughing as well.

Just then the DJ began to talk into the PA over the music. “Attention please, can we get the Superstars up to the front of the room please?”

“Uh oh, wonder what this is about,” Otabek said as they began to head over; as they made their way through the crowd the others began to filter through and join them. They were caught up to by Yuuto and Satsuki, who led them over to the same backdrop that had been used for the photographer's row on the red carpet.

“We need to get some group shots, and there are some celebs that have to leave soon who want meet and greets,” Seung Gil said as he walked up to them. “The party is winding down so we have to get moving.” He then began to urge everyone to form up together for photos. Victor still had his arm around Yuri's shoulders even though he'd managed to finally calm down, and he was grateful for the support as exhaustion from a very busy day began to catch up with him.

The meet and greet ended up lasting another hour, with several celebrities coming up to talk to all of the Superstars and pose for photos or take their own selfies. As the party came to a close they were all led back out to the bus; as they came out of the front entrance of the hotel there were still several groups of fans who had camped out to see if they could score an autograph or photo, as well as a decent amount of paparazzi who snapped candids.

Victor stuck close to Yuri as they were ushered back onto the bus safely by the security team, sitting down with him and grabbing another bottle of water, which Yuri accepted. He'd pulled out his phone and had opened the text that Phichit had sent that contained the photos of Yuri and Bruno. Victor pulled out his own phone and went to Bruno's account, bringing up the selfie he'd taken with Yuri. It had more than 10k likes and rising by the second, the comments full of caps and randomletters and figurative screaming. He nudged Yuri with an elbow as the bus moved into traffic, heading back toward the house in the Hills and the peace and quiet everyone was really needing now.

“Yuri... look,” Victor smiled; Yuri looked over at Victor's phone, eyes going wide as he read the caption: _“Hangin' with the winner of Grand Prix Superstar! You heard it here first! You got this Yuri! #yurikatsuki #superstaryurik #youhearditherefirst”_

He wasn't sure if it was being thoroughly exhausted, overwhelmed by everything that had happened, or a combination of both, but Yuri felt tears well up in his eyes and he caught a soft sob in his throat, covering his mouth with one hand. He felt Victor's arms around him then, pulling him into a hug; across from them in the opposite seat Sara leaned forward, giving Yuri's shoulder a pat.

“It's pretty insane, right?” Victor said comfortingly. “It's only going to get more crazy. But what you do now is you take this and turn it into something that drives you, and something that reminds you that you're amazing, no matter what happens.”

Yuri slowly pulled back from Victor, composing himself with a few deep breaths. “And what about you? Did you meet anyone important to you tonight?” he asked. “I saw the singer of the Goo Goo Dolls.”

Victor nodded then. “Yes that was John Rzeznik, who I've been a fan of for quite some time. He was really great and had a lot of good advice. But yes... I did meet one of my idols. He also came up to us when we were doing group photos. I talked at length with Josh Groban, who watched Hollywood Week and saw me do his song. He has to be the most down to earth person I've ever met. I got a lot of good advice from him as well.” He pulled out his phone and showed Yuri the photo they'd taken together; Yuri somehow felt better that Victor was just as flushed and seemed to be just as overwhelmed as he'd been when meeting Bruno.

“We'll be seeing this a lot more, I'm sure,” Victor said. “But we all have to remember that we were chosen to be here by people that have been in the business even longer than both of the people you and I met tonight, people who are arguably more famous even. We might not be on the level of the judges or the people we met tonight but by the same token, we're all here because we have something in common with those people we look up to. And we all were given the chance to reach their level because we deserve it.”

“Here here!!” Christophe said, holding up his champagne; he was rather drunk at this point and Yuri was wondering how he'd been quiet with his inhibitions lowered even further than normal. “We still have to put in the work but dammit, these people are telling us we're damn good. We have to start believing it!”

“I already do. Speak for yourself,” Yura growled; he was exhausted and when Yura was tired, no one was safe. Christophe shrugged it off and downed the rest of his glass, after which Victor took the empty from him.

“Darling, I think you've had enough for tonight,” he said. “Remember we have a somewhat early morning. Tomorrow the games really begin.”

“Shiiiiiitttttttt,” Chris hissed, eyes glassy. “I forgot. I better go right to bed. I hope I'm sober by morning.”

Everyone broke into laughter as the bus pulled up to the house. “Sure, get yourself disqualified for misconduct,” Victor said. “Easier for the rest of us!”

“Just for that, I will... I'll figure it out in the morning but I WILL!” Chris shouted as he stumbled off the bus, cracking everyone else up more; the laughter woke Yuri, who had dozed off leaning against Victor; he blinked as he got his bearings.

“Oh man... sorry Victor, I fell asleep,” he said, flushing bright red.

“It's fine, Yuri,” Victor smiled. “We're all exhausted I think. I think we need to sleep while we can, because it's off to the races tomorrow.”

  


**First Live Show – Top Twelve Week: Songs of the 1980s**

_Counting down... going live in 10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1!_

The excited buzzing of the audience was quickly brought to a hush as the massive video screens that provided the backdrop of the glossy black stage sprang to life, Hisashi Morooka's voiceover filling the huge studio.

 **Morooka:** Last week, we revealed the final twelve contestants that will be vying for the coveted title of the first ever Grand Prix Superstar. Our international Superstars have been culled from more than 500,000 auditioners and hail from all over the globe, from the US _cut to shot of Leo_ to Russia _cut to shot of Victor, Mila and Yura,_ Italy _cut to shot of Sara,_ Japan _cut to shot of Yuri and Kenjirou_ China _cut to shot of Guang Hong_ Switzerland _cut to shot of Christophe_ Canada _cut to shot of JJ_ Thailand  _cut to shot of Phichit_ and Kazakhstan _cut to shot of Otabek_. Their musical influences are as varied as their cultural backgrounds, and we've seen some fantastic performances so far. But now comes the true test. For the first time tonight, they will be performing LIVE in front of the world, as the show is simulcast and live-streamed for more than one billion people worldwide on television and online. And YOU will be the one to decide who stays and goes home, as the viewers' votes will be the final word. Hold onto your seats! THIS... IS **SUPERSTAR GRAND PRIX!!!**

Backstage in the green room, the twelve contestants watched on a wall-mounted 50-inch flatscreen television as Morooka took the stage to an audience that was going absolutely insane. The massive soundstage held approximately 2000 people, and the sea of faces was accentuated with flags of the competitors' countries as well as signs bearing wording ranging from well wishes to corny slogans. Of course, there was a clear shot of a young woman holding up a sign with glittery silver lettering that said “MARRY ME VICTOR” before the attention was turned to the introduction of the judges. Yet another video montage touting each of the three industry professionals' accomplishments was played, but as they walked out onstage to take their seats the applause was enthusiastic but distracted at best.

Satsuki and Yuuto, who had been in the room with the cast, both touched their hands to their headsets at the same time as the judges began a few minutes of chitchat with Morooka. Satsuki ran ahead, and Yuuto turned around.

“All right guys... this is it. Follow me.”

Yuuto led the twelve contestants underneath the stage, where they were directed to step up onto a platform. Above their heads was an opening that the platform fit into. They'd done this a few times during rehearsals the week between the Top Twelve Reveal broadcast and now, but they all still kept their eyes on Yuuto as he counted down with hand signals so they could all prepare for the jolt as the hydraulics beneath their feet lurched into gear for the raising of the platform. From the opening above their heads, they could hear Morooka over the sound system.

“We know the judges had a very difficult time choosing the final twelve, but the moment is finally here. Are you ready to meet them?” The crowd exploded in response. “Here they are, the final twelve Superstars!!!”

The platform was halfway up by this point, and as the edge of the stage in front of them dropped lower and their faces emerged, none of them could have prepared for what looked like complete and utter chaos in front of them. 2000 people – not really a lot, but more than any of them had ever been in front of before – waving flags and signs, screaming at the top of their lungs as the show's theme music blared through the sound system. They felt the platform lock into position while in front of them, they saw Seung Gil to their left who gave the hand signal for them to begin walking forward as Morooka called each of their names in turn.

Yuri's heart was pounding so hard and fast he felt like he might faint. This... this was what he wanted more than anything. It wasn't even a big crowd, but this feeling? He found himself anxious, but in a good way. Something swelled within him, and he couldn't wait to get out here and sing.

Each contestant had their own similar moment as they followed the sequence they'd learned in rehearsal. There was a pit of standing room only fans that were below and in front of the raised judges' platform, and the twelve contestants came forward, high fiving and shaking the hands of anyone they could reach. Yuri gravitated to a group of six Japanese, four women and two men, holding up a Japanese flag; Victor tried to reach whoever he could that was screaming his name but found it impossible. Some of the others walked out onto the two catwalks that branched out into the audience, connecting in an arc behind the judges' table. An instrumental of the show's theme song, “You Only Live Once”, was playing and as the music reached a certain spot they all knew it was time to return to the stage. Mila and Sara had strayed a bit too far out and had to run back, with Mila trying not to fall in her spike-heeled boots, laughing at herself all the way.

Morooka turned to the judges then. “So, Judges, here are the Top Twelve. Do you have any final words for them before we start the show tonight?”

“It sounds completely obvious and trite, but I'm going to say it anyway,” Minako, who was seated between Celestino and Yakov, began. “ _Have fun._ It's very easy to get wrapped up in worrying too much about your performances. But if you do that, it will show. Try to relax as much as you can and enjoy this.”

“Absolutely,” Celestino agreed. “But also keep in mind that the world is watching. You're in the big leagues now. The judges now only can mentor you as they have been during the recording of your songs. The voting is now all up to the viewers.”

“Yes,” Yakov continued. “You are now performing for the people who will give you a career, no matter what place you finish on this show. We can give you the knowledge we have learned over the course of our careers but now, how long you stay is all up to you and your performances and song choices. You have a hand in your own destiny beginning tonight.”

Next to him in the line, Phichit heard JJ take in a deep breath and exhale sharply. Phichit had to inwardly admit that remembering the weight their performances now held was very intimidating. Otabek had jokingly called it “The Hunger Games of Music”, and Phichit was now empathizing heavily with that sudden death concept.

Morooka nodded to the judges, then turned back toward the contestants. “All right then, thank you Judges. We have a very exciting theme to start off our live shows, and I think everyone is going to have a lot of fun with this one. As the Superstars head backstage to get ready for their performances, let's have a look at their preparations for this week's theme: Songs of the 1980s.”

As per the rehearsals, Morooka's words cued the contestants to all turn in unison and walk to stage right, where they left the stage and headed back to the green room save for Sara, who stayed in the prep area with Seung Gil as she was to perform first. As the others filed past they all wished her well; Mila gave her a quick hug, knowing that the cameras were watching every move and that their budding relationship had to stay under wraps for now.

The montage on the video screens showed footage from the previous week, which the other eleven contestants watched from the green room. There were shots of them working on their songs in the rehearsal rooms of a rented space in Los Angeles they'd traveled to daily, and then bits of some of the contestants working with Celestino, their Judges' Mentor for the week, while making the studio recordings of their songs that would be put up on iTunes as soon as the broadcast ended. There were even a few fun clips with Georgi and Anya, showing the contestants getting ready for the show and picking out clothes. The clip ended with a group shot that had been taken during the first rehearsal on the main stage, with the empty audience seats behind them. The cameras then cut back to Morooka, his image on the LED screens.

“Well I think everyone's been waiting long enough, so let's go! Singing “Into the Groove” by Madonna, here is Italy's own Sara Crispino!”

As the lighting shifted into performance mode Morooka left the stage; Seung Gil signaled for Sara to walk out as Takeshi and the band started the music. Each song was edited down to two minutes and thirty seconds, which had been the norm throughout Hollywood Week except for the Showcase, so it was also a challenge to remember the lyrics correctly especially when one was very familiar with the song.

Sara began with the spoken words that were in the original Madonna track: “And you can dance! For inspiration... come on, I'm waiting!” before she began to sing, her body moving to the dance beat almost immediately. She tried not to get too lost in singing the song to remember the directions they'd been told: Look at the crowd, look into the cameras at least a couple of times, acknowledge the judges if you want to. She punctuated a few lines with sexy movements, relying on some of the performance mentoring she'd gotten from Emil and her prior experience with choreography via figure skating. As she sang the song however, she began to realize that even though it had felt good and had worked for all week in rehearsals, it wasn't very challenging vocally. As it ended, she began to feel a bit of concern creeping in, and hoped her overall performance would be enough. The crowd seemed to love it though, going wild and applauding. She took her place on the white tape X at center stage.

“Well Sara, how does it feel to be up there?” Minako grinned.

“It's amazing!” Sara smiled. “It's a little overwhelming but I can get used to it for sure.”

“Well Sara, I think this was a safe choice for you,” Minako began, confirming Sara's worries. “You sang it very well and your performance was interesting, but I think I sense a little bit of nerves as well.”

Sara was already feeling a bit too worried to banter, so she nodded quietly instead.

“I agree with Minako here, I think this was a safe choice for you,” Celestino said. “It fits you, definitely, but I think you could have made a song choice that was a bit more up to your standards. You have a great voice with a lot of range, don't be afraid to use it. That said, you sounded great and you look great too, you definitely have some star power going on there.”

Sara felt herself blush a bit as there was a smattering of boos in the crowd at Celestino's words; she gave him a thank you into her microphone.

“I agree with my fellow judges,” Yakov said. “I do think the song fits you well, and you did it justice. But I think going forward you have to think about your choices more than just if you like the song or know it well. If you make it through to next week, make sure to prioritize that.”

Sara felt her breath catch in her chest as Yakov said _if you make it through to next week_. She thanked him as Morooka came over, putting an arm around her shoulders.

“Well did you have fun out there though Sara?” he asked.

“I did,” she said. “I've been waiting forever to get out here and perform and whatever happens, at least I got to do that.”

“Well we will see what happens from here. You can vote online at www.grandprixsuperstar.com/vote, or use the mobile app for iPhone or Android; you can vote a maximum of ten times with each of these methods. Or text or SMS your vote to Sara's number, GPSTAR01, ten votes maximum there as well. Also, sales of all of the contestants' singles, including Sara's recording of “Into the Groove” will also count as one vote per download, so make sure you buy her single! All of the Top Twelve's recordings will go live at the end of the show, and voting will open then as well.” He turned to Sara then with a smile. “Sara, good luck dear and we'll find out tomorrow night how you've done.”

Sara took that as her cue to head off stage left. As she returned to the stage door she already felt the tears welling up. _God, please don't let me go home already. Why didn't I think about my song more?_ By the time she'd returned to the green room she was fighting tears, and Mila immediately jumped up to hug her.

Yuuto had already come to get JJ while Sara was performing her song, and while he stood at the stage door he'd watched her performance on a flatscreen monitor and heard her critique after. He took a deep breath as she left the stage, and had tried to console her but she'd hurried right past, being led by Satsuki back to the green room while Morooka was seguing into JJ's performance.

“Our next performer was discovered from his audition in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Performing “We Close Our Eyes” by Go West, here is Jean-Jacques “JJ” Leroy!

JJ headed out onto the stage as an abbreviated version of the synthesizer intro began, shifting into his performance mode. He covered the stage well as he sang, the song fitting his voice very well. He was pleasantly surprised as some in the audience were singing along; it reminded him to acknowledge some of the fans in the pit, which he began to do as the edited version of the song jumped right into the change, recovering quickly as he felt himself losing track of the lyrics by pulling away from the fans. He felt the adrenaline building as he sailed into the last chorus, improvising as in the original recording. He saw many in the crowd dancing along and it made him grin as he finished the song with a spin and a fistpump. He felt very good about it and was pleased with his performance. He waved to the crowd and blew a few kisses as he took his mark at center stage.

“JJ!!!” Celestino yelled into his mic to be heard over the cheers and screams of the crowd; he waited a few moments as off-camera, two of the far side screens on either side of the stage projected the words “Quiet Please” to bring the crowd to a hush. “I really liked this song for you, it fits your personality very well and you sounded great. The only thing you need to watch is that you don't get too distracted by the crowd and lose your place in the song.”

JJ nodded. “Yeah, I felt it so I gotta watch that,” he replied.

“This was a great song choice for you,” Minako continued. “I don't know if it showed your full vocal potential, but it was a lot more upbeat than the last few songs we saw from you in Hollywood Week which is definitely a step up. You do this type of song very well so make sure you find a balance between those two extremes of the heartfelt ballads and stuff like this.” JJ nodded in response and thanked her.

“I think they are both right with regard to your vocal performance,” Yakov said. “The one thing you do still have to work on is your stage presence. You know how to be theatrical but singing without anything else to guide your interactions is something to be learned. I think this song was a good start for you but we know you can do better as well.”

JJ nodded, feeling a catch in his throat; once again Yakov had thrown a shadow of doubt. JJ tucked it away and put on his best grin as Morooka came over to him.

“You looked great out here tonight JJ,” he said. “How did this first performance feel?”

“It felt really good but it is definitely easy to get caught up in it all. I will definitely remember what the judges have said for next week,” JJ replied. _Gotta cover myself. Make them want to keep me to see me do better._

Morooka then rattled off the same voting information and made note of JJ's text number, GPSTAR02 as well as reminding everyone to buy his recording of his song from the night. They then went to a commercial and JJ headed offstage, led by Satsuki back to the green room. Minami, who'd begun going by his last name when the confusion of the “last name first” custom of Japanese names had led a great number of his non-Japanese fans to gravitate to it, had already headed to the stage door to prepare for his performance.

“Woooo! That was awesome!!” JJ grinned as he flopped down on the couch next to Guang Hong. “The crowd is so fun to watch.”

“Yeah it is but you can't let that distract you. You fumbled on your words a bit,” Yura growled. “Don't think people won't notice.” Mila gave him an elbow as JJ's face dropped a bit.

“Overall you did great,” Victor said. “It's hard to remember sometimes with the way the songs are edited to skip the second verse. But you do need to pay attention. It will get easier as we keep doing it.”

The show returned from commercial then and the contestants' attention diverted back to the screen, where Morooka was introducing Minami. As his song, “Wake Me Up (Before You Go-Go)” by Wham began with the backup singers' finger snaps, he ran out onto the stage to the applause of many of the younger fans, waving and grinning. He immediately got extremely hyped up...

...and back in the green room, his fellow contestants all cringed nearly in unison as he started singing the wrong verse, the second instead of the first. He immediately began to stumble when he realized his mistake, forgetting the words entirely and mumbling random parts of the first verse until he got to the chorus, where the singing along of the audience got him back on track. The song was shortened so much there was only a transition into the change before the final chorus – which to his embarrassment he could no longer remember the words to either, having completely derailed himself in the first verse. He improvised the lyrics as best he could and went into the last chorus, ending the song with his back to the audience and squeezing his eyes shut tightly. _Oh my god what the hell happened..._

It took him a moment to find the strength to turn around but he finally did, walking up to the mark at center stage, afraid to look at the judges.

“Minami-kun, sweetie, what happened up there?” Minako said, trying not to go too hard on him; that, she knew, would come from one of her fellow judges.

“I... I think I just got too excited,” Minami replied, trying to keep his voice even. “I had heard the song a lot and I thought I knew the words but... yeah.”

“It's a tough song to sing as it is, and if you're not familiar with it you really have to concentrate,” Minako said. “I know it's easy to get caught up but as a performer you have to be prepared for things like this.” She tried to keep her tone gentle, but she could see the young man was on the verge of tearing up.

“Yeah buddy, that didn't go so well,” Celestino concurred. “Never, ever rely on having heard a song a lot. You might think you're familiar with it, but a song like that is known for the chorus before anything else, which obviously was the easiest thing for you. This was a great song choice for you too, I just wish it could have been better.”

Minami nodded and said into his mic softly, “Yeah, me too.”

“You have to always be prepared. Even if you think you know the words to the song you have to practice, especially when the song is edited,” Yakov said. “You cannot forget the words to an entire song and have people not notice. Only a very experienced performer can pull something like this off. I think you may be in trouble this week, which is a shame because we have seen so much growth from you.”

Minako cringed in her seat as Minami definitely began to fight off tears. Morooka came over and did his usual big-brotherly reassurance, placing an arm around Minami's shoulders. Rather than chitchat with him he chose to remind the viewers about Minami's considerable growth throughout Hollywood Week and of his prior performances before giving his voting information before Minami left the stage.

Guang Hong had been standing with Seung Gil watching Minami's performance, and was understandably shaken. Minami had nailed the song all week in rehearsals, even in the dress rehearsals, but something about the distraction of the audience had caused him to fall apart. Having to follow that was unnerving and he had the unfortunate position of doing so, and of walking to his place on stage behind a screen while Minami received his critique. While the audience couldn't see Guang Hong he could see Minami as he walked offstage; once out of sight of the cameras he bolted into the darkness of the wings.

Morooka's introduction brought Guang Hong back into focus; he had to shake off his deep concern for his friend and do his own performance. As the beginning drum pattern of his song “Human” by the Human League began Guang Hong mused to himself that it had become a rather ironic choice considering the lyrics of the chorus. He himself had been rethinking his song choice after Sara's critique, as his own song didn't have a very challenging vocal line. But by the same token he'd become known for more dancey, boy-bandish songs, so he hoped as he sang the wistful, sad song with emotions tinged with sadness and worry for his friend, that it would be enough to keep him in the competition. When he ended his performance to subdued, polite applause, he wasn't sure if the mood from Minami's performance had carried over, or if he'd flopped hard with his own. He took a deep breath after he bowed and waved to the crowd, taking his mark at center stage.

“This was a pretty good choice for you,” Celestino said. “It's a little subdued compared to what we've seen from you in the past, and I actually think you sang it a lot better in your recording sessions. This performance was definitely safe, but you sang it well and you put the proper emotions into it. I liked this for you regardless, nice job.”

“I do think this was a safe choice, but you did sing it well,” Minako said. “That said, it's not a very difficult song to do, and there are a lot of ballads from this era that would have been more of a challenge. But we've seen some pretty different things from you before this, so I think if the viewers take into account what we know you can do, you should be fine.”

“From what I am seeing the first few performances have either been very safe or so risky they are too much. You did this song well but just doing something well is not enough. You are competing with some extremely talented people, some of them with more experience than you. You have to be ready to bring your best performance every time. I am concerned this was too safe for you,” Yakov said.

Guang Hong felt his stomach drop as more uncertainty crept in. Morooka offered a few encouraging words before reciting Guang Hong's voting information. As the show went to commercial he headed back to the green room to find Minami still being consoled by JJ and Phichit; Yuri had given him one last pat on the shoulder as he was called to the stage door to make ready for his performance after the break. Guang Hong sat down next to Minami, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

“I don't know what happened,” Minami said, his voice still teary. “I... the words just weren't there. I completely blanked as soon as it was time to sing...”

“Hopefully people will still put you through. They know how good you've been so far,” Guang Hong said, trying to sound hopeful even though in his gut he knew Minami was probably in more trouble than he was.

“I don't think they will... dammit... I wanted to make it to the tour...” Minami buried his face in his hands again as he teared up once more.

Victor had been trying to help console Minami as well and now that Guang Hong had taken over, he turned his attention toward the screen where onstage the flurry of activity during commercial breaks was going on... and then he noticed someone standing in the doorway out of the corner of his eye, too soon to be for the next person in line to perform. He looked up and saw a roving cameraman in the doorway, camera trained on Minami; a glance at the screen in the room showed that they'd been projecting what the cameraman was shooting on the onstage screens to show what was going on backstage to the studio audience.

Something about it rubbed Victor the wrong way and he rose up from his seat, blocking the cameraman's view. “That's enough. The kid's already too upset, you don't have to show everyone.”

The cameraman backed off more because he'd gotten a call in his headset than because Victor had stopped him. “Just doing what I'm told man,” he said as he pulled out of the door and left to shadow Yuri as he made his way to the stage during Morooka's introduction.

“Our next performer is from a little town in the south of Japan called Hasetsu,” Morooka began, “but comes to us by way of Detroit, Michigan in the US, where he attended university; we first saw him with his audition in Toronto. Performing “Kyrie” by Mr. Mister, here is Yuri Katsuki!”

Yuri tried to shake off the uneasy feeling that he'd been left with watching Minami crash and burn, which he'd silently admitted to himself would be his absolute worst nightmare. As the rhythmic synthesizer of the introduction of the song began he let his voice open up, singing the first verse and trying to portray the sense of anticipation in the song. _Just like when we did it in karaoke!_ Phichit had said when they'd been rehearsing their songs. This one had been a favorite of Yuri's and he fell into the familiar melody, reaching back into his theater training to try to cover the stage as best he could.

He'd been taking notes from the other performances so far and stayed away from acknowledging the people in the pit even though he got close to them. As the song's tempo picked up he got caught up into the melody and the uplifting message, one he'd always taken heart in over the years. He hadn't realized he'd been meandering across the stage, shuffling along to the beat of the song, even doing a few little twirls as he moved along. As it transitioned into the chorus he felt his emotions rising to the surface, his mind going back into his journey from his hometown of Hasetsu to Detroit, remembering the love and support of his family even though he was nervous and intimidated; he'd noticed when choosing it that it also applied to the journey he was beginning now as well. The change of the song was mostly vocalizations, and it was cut short to go into the modulation which featured an a capella reprise of the chorus, the key shifting up with just drums behind his vocals. Yuri felt a surge of emotion when the crowd began to clap along as he sailed into the final chorus, a bit of the same euphoria from Hollywood Week slipping in as he ended with another a capella reprise of the song's hook.

He got a big reception, with the crowd applauding wildly and holding up signs, some written in Japanese. He'd been wishing he could have used an instrument, but the song was arranged as such that he hadn't been able to fit anything in as the band had it pretty well covered. Despite having felt good about the song as he'd performed it, he still felt uncertain as he stepped to the center stage mark, folding his hands in front of him with the microphone clasped within them.

“Yuri! I'm diggin' it!” Celestino said with a grin. “It's such an iconic song. I liked it in the studio when you recorded it but I gotta say it comes across even better live. It's got a great melody line and you carried it off well. You were feeling it right?”

Yuri felt the flush creep up his neck. _Oh great, in front of the entire planet no less._ “I was... it's always been a favorite of mine to sing. It means a lot to me.”

“I liked this for you too,” Minako said. “What about it is special to you?”

“I grew up hearing it around the house because it was one of my mom's favorites. I've always loved the harmonies, but the lyrics spoke to me especially when I moved away from Japan to come to the US.”

Minako nodded in response. “It shows. The emotions definitely came across well. This was a great song choice for you and I loved your performance. Really great job Yuri-san.” He thanked her with a small bow.

“The song is very powerful, and your vocals are so impeccable it makes people want to listen even more,” Yakov said. “This was a very good performance. I think you still need to work a bit on your presentation. The song engaged the audience more than you did with your actions. This performance shows what I have said to you before, you are most at home behind an instrument. Some performers are meant for that. Whose idea was it to have you without it?” As Yakov spoke, there was a scattered round of boos from the audience, which made Celestino smile.

Yuri was hesitant to throw anyone under the bus on international television. “I asked Emil what he thought, and we kind of came to the decision together that it would challenge me a bit to go without it. There wasn't a lot I could play in this song so I decided to go it alone.”

“It is good that you wanted to try it, but just remember your strengths for next time,” Yakov said. Yuri thanked him as Morooka came back over.

“A really good first performance to start off with,” Morooka said, giving Yuri a pat on the back; he smiled and nodded as Morooka recited Yuri's voting information, and then he took leave of the stage.

“Our next performer is the lone American to make it to the Top Twelve,” Morooka continued, “and hails from Dallas, Texas. Singing “Man in the Mirror” by Michael Jackson, here is Leo de la Iglesia!”

Leo began the song by walking out from the shadows at the back of the stage, through a small pathway created when the two halves of the band platform moved apart. It was a song he'd done for a few talent shows in the past, and had always been one of his favorites. He sang the first verse with emotion and conviction, then powered into the chorus as he got more emotional and excited. He raised a hand to get everyone swaying along with him as the edited version went into a modulation for the final chorus, the key shifting upward and making Leo belt his notes along with the choir-like backing vocals, then switch to doing the mini-rap toward the end before singing through one last chorus. He felt the meaning of the song pulling at his emotions and he ended the with eyes closed against the bit of euphoria that set in when he realized he'd not only nailed the performance, but engaged the crowd as well.

“Leo!” Minako grinned as he moved to stand at center stage. “Anything by Michael Jackson is pretty tough to go for but you did a really great job on this. You have the perfect range for this song and it seems like it means a lot to you.”

“Yes ma'am it does,” he said. “I grew up hearing it and I've sung it for a couple of things but never something as important as this. That's why I wanted to do it here.”

“I think it was a very good choice for you,” she replied. “Excellent vocal, really nice job.”

“Taking on MJ takes a lot of guts,” Celestino said. “But you pulled this off really well in the studio and rehearsals too. You have a really great sense of who you are as a performer already just from the amount of time that's passed since Hollywood Week. I really liked this and I think the voters will too.”

“This was a very good performance. I do not think I have much to add. You are learning to connect with the audience as well and you chose a very good song to make your first statement with. Very good job,” Yakov said as Morooka came to center stage, congratulating Leo and giving his voting information before the show headed to another break.

Backstage in the green room Yura headed over to the stage door with Yuuto as Leo returned to find Yuri conversing with Phichit and Sara about his performance.

“I just, I'm not really sure how they thought it was good. I felt like it was just okay,” Yuri said. “It felt so much better when I was rehearsing it but I feel like it fell flat. I don't know why.”

“The vocal was really good though and that's the most important thing,” Phichit said. “I think you'll be fine.”

“Honestly, the only thing that seemed a little off was that I wasn't used to seeing you without an instrument,” Sara said. “That might be why it felt off to you too. But everyone still seemed to like it and you did sing really well.”

“Leo was way better,” Yuri said as he reached to shake Leo's hand. “You kicked my ass buddy.”

“That really was amazing,” Victor said to Leo. “That's a song that will pull people in on an emotional level too, so it was a really smart choice.”

“Yura is up next,” Sara said as the show resumed after the commercial break. “Didn't you help him find this arrangement of this song Leo?”

Leo nodded. “Yeah, he was having trouble with the original version and I knew about this one because it had been used for the goodbye song on American Idol. I think it's going to work out well for him.”

Phichit laughed at that. “We're supposed to be competing against each other and we're giving each other songs. Way to throw a wrench into it!”

On stage Yura began his song, “(Don't You) Forget About Me”, originally performed by Simple Minds, but instead using an arrangement done by David Cook which had a bit more of a rock feel to it. Yura stalked the stage as he sang, pausing here and there to grab the hand of one of his many female admirers, causing a mini-spazz in the crowd. As the song went into the change and the melody line went up a bit he became even more animated, then took to one of the catwalks as the edit jumped into the end of the song with its “la-la-la” ending, bounding around it and waving a hand to successfully get the crowd going and singing along; he ended the song in the middle of the catwalk behind the judges' table, the audience exploding into cheers as he ran back to center stage.

“Yuraaaaaa!” Celestino yelled over the cheering; once again the crowd had to be hushed with the “Quiet Please” messages on the off-camera screens. “I really liked this arrangement. It wasn't exceptionally different than the original, but just enough that it fits you much better.”

“Yeah, I liked it too. Leo knew about it and told me to try it,” Yura said; in the green room, Leo raised his eyebrows, surprised Yura had said anything.

“We already know Leo makes smart song choices so I'm not surprised,” Celestino continued. “I liked this song for you. Even though the vocal wasn't exceptionally difficult you pulled it off with ease and this song fit you very well overall.”

“I don't know, I think I disagree,” Minako said. “I think you're capable of much more than this. We already know you have knowledge of much better music from this era because of your audition. I think you could have chosen something that played to your strengths a bit more. Having said that I do think it was a strong performance overall.”

“I agree with Minako, this performance was just okay, it was safe for you. You are a risk taker, and I think should you make it to next week you should definitely make a smarter choice,” Yakov said.

Yura didn't attempt to hide the scowl on his face as Morooka came over to him, encouraging viewers to remember that Yura had come a long way so far in the competition before giving his voting numbers. As soon as Yura was off stage he let out a loud “FUCK!!!”, very unhappy with his performance as he returned to the green room. Otabek wasn't even able to offer his friend some encouraging words as he was up next and was already waiting in the wings as Yura received his critique.

“Our next performer hails all the way from Kazakhstan, where he is a professional DJ. He's stepping out from the DJ booth now to perform “Everybody Wants to Rule The World” by Tears for Fears. Here is Otabek Altin!” Morooka said.

Thanks to seeing Yura's performance get mostly negative critiques Otabek was a bit concerned over his song choice, as the vocal wasn't really that much more intricate than his friend's. But he was determined to make the best of it, utilizing the help that Emil had given him in the weeks between Hollywood and now in making his performance more engaging. He pulled in the crowd by singing directly to a few of the fans in the front row and emoting quite a bit (though he hoped it wasn't too much), and covering the stage well with the blocking pattern that Emil had worked out for him. They'd left room for Otabek to make use of the catwalk if he felt up to it and he did, figuring at this point he had nothing to lose as the edit of the song went into the final change and chorus, where he emphasized the line “say that you'll never ever ever leave me” by pointing at the crowd, evoking cheers and screams. As the shuffling, jangly guitar of the ending of the song faded out he strolled back to the stage from the catwalk, exuding some charisma in the form of a bit of a brooding presence as the bittersweet song ended.

“You are learning very well how to perform for an audience,” Yakov began. “I have seen so much improvement from you and you are showing that you are listening to the constructive criticism. This song was not a difficult one to sing, but it is one that must be put forth with the right emotion and you have done that very well here. It is a solid performance, but I am confident you are able to do more.”

“I liked this song for you too,” Celestino agreed. “I think it fits your personality well and it looks like you had a lot of fun with it. And I think the ladies are liking it too,” he smiled, evoking some squeals from the audience as Otabek smiled in response.

“There's a really nice confidence about you,” Minako said. “You have a presence that just makes people want to like you and the more you are learning about yourself as a performer, that confidence is making you sexy as well. I agree with Yakov that this wasn't a difficult song to sing, but you gave it the mood it needed and you pulled it off well, nice job.”

Morooka did his usual recitation of the voting information and Otabek headed off stage as the show went to the commercial break. He and Yura exchanged a thumbs up as he walked into the green room, with Mila giving him a high five on her way out to the stage door.

Victor noticed that Yuri had become very quiet since his performance, not offering any more words as he had been beforehand. He looked over to see him quietly sipping on his water, seeming pensive in the corner of the sofa. Victor moved over to wrap an arm around Yuri's shoulders.

“Yuuuuurriiiii you're too quiet, what's wrong?” Victor asked.

Yuri heaved a sigh in response. “I'm going to be in the bottom, I know it.”

“Don't worry Yuri, you won't go home, because it will be me,” Minami said sadly, at which Guang Hong told him to hush.

Yuri then realized Minami was most likely right. He'd tried to be encouraging as he could be, but in his gut he knew his fellow Japanese contestant was likely going to be the one on the chopping block come the results show the next night. But it was still no reason to feel confident in his own performance, which Yuri was still very unhappy with.

The show came back from break with Morooka introducing Mila, who was seated on a wooden stool in the middle of the stage with Takeshi on her left with his acoustic guitar. She sang the first verse and chorus of her song, “Black Velvet” by Alannah Myles, while seated, then slipped off the stool to strut confidently around the stage in her black leather outfit, her voice smoky and sexy and her presence exuding confidence. She improvised a bit in the final chorus, ending the song with a silky tone that made the audience pause for a moment as if they'd lost their breath before exploding into wild applause.

Minako was grinning before she even said a word. “Mila, this was a perfect song choice for you,” she began. “We know you can rock out, we know you can be sensitive, and now we know you have a sultry side too. I'm really starting to think there isn't anything you can't interpret. Excellent vocal, excellent stage presence, total package, loved it.” Mila couldn't help but grin even as a flush played over her cheeks.

“Is it hot in here?” Celestino asked, looking around; on stage Mila broke into giggles. “I knew when we worked on this song in the studio it was going to work well for you and I was right. It came across live even better because you played off the mood of the audience as well. Really nice job.”

“You have a very strong sense of who you are as a performer. We know you are not afraid to take risks. This was very much in your wheelhouse, and you put it forth very well. You have a good sense of how and when to use emotions in your vocals to tell the story that much more. Excellent performance,” Yakov concluded as Morooka came over to congratulate her and recite her voting information, then moved on to introduce the next contestant as she left the stage.

“Our next performer is all the way from Lausanne, Switzerland, and we first met him at the Paris auditions. Performing “Simply Irresistible” by Robert Palmer, here is Christophe Giacometti!”

Chris had decided to go for the whole nine yards with the performance and had a blast working with Emil on the stage moves. He executed some very fun choreography as he sang the challenging song, slinking along the stage with his trained dancer's poise as he embodied the sexy song fully, making the entire audience swoon as he strutted authoritatively out onto the catwalk as if he were in a fashion show and nailing the a capella change in the middle before it sailed into the final chorus. He bounded back onto the stage, the adrenaline pumping as the audience was drawn in fully, with a good amount of them dancing along. He ended the song striking a commanding pose, accidentally dropping the microphone but playing along as if he'd meant to do it. In the green room, as they zoomed on Chris' face at the conclusion of the song the other contestants could see he was struggling not to burst out laughing at himself for the happy accident.

The crowd was so deafening in its response to the performance that all Celestino and Minako could do was turn around in their chairs and watch for a few moments as everyone went wild over Chris' performance. As he watched the screen Yuri was pretty certain it took the production team several seconds longer than it had for other contestants before the “Quiet Please” messages went up on the screens to calm the audience down.

“Christophe!!!” Minako cried, a huge grin on her face. “This performance was _in-sane._ The dancing was a bit different for you and your presence on the stage is outrageous! And most importantly you _nailed_ this vocal by the late great Robert Palmer. I absolutely loved this performance.”

“I still think it's hot in here guys,” Celestino said, causing the audience to break into laughter and Minako to shove him playfully. “I loved your vocal on this, there was a growl in your voice that we haven't heard before and I like that you have shown that side of your vocal abilities. This was a total package performance, I loved it.” A second after he said it, Celestino saw the smirk on Chris' face as he struggled to not burst out laughing and they simultaneously both failed as the audience also cracked up; next to Celestino, Minako buried her face in her hands as she lost it as well. In the green room, everyone was in stitches, the laughter sorely needed to break the tension that had been lingering.

“I do not have much to add to this,” Yakov said after everyone had calmed down, somehow keeping his composure despite a small smirk that had crossed his face during the exchange. “I think this performance showcased your vocals very well. It is obvious you are a very well-rounded performer. Just remember to not let the theatrics become more important than your voice.”

As the show went into the final commercial break of the two-hour broadcast Christophe returned to the green room, low-fiving Phichit as he headed to the stage door. The other contestants applauded as Christophe walked in and he bowed in a dramatic flourish.

“Performance of the night, easy,” Leo said. “You kicked all our asses so far.”

“Seriously, I think you can sleep easy tonight, you're totally safe,” Minami added.

Victor was still laughing a bit at the microphone debacle. “Nice save with the microphone, your face was totally 'I meant to do that'!” he laughed.

“Oh my god I felt it slip out of my hand and I was just like all right then, roll with it,” Chris laughed. “I got all sweaty and it just slid right out.”

“That's what she said!” Sara shot back, breaking everyone into laughter again, which was short-lived as the show returned for break for the final two performances, with Morooka continuing the introductions.

“Our next performer is all the way from Bangkok, Thailand, and was roommates with Yuri Katsuki in Detroit, where he also went to university. They auditioned together in Toronto, and both made it through. Let's see how the other half of this pair of best friends does. Performing “Open Arms” by Journey, here is Phichit Chulanont!”

Phichit had done this song at karaoke with Yuri more than once, and had used it for his first year voice recital performance. He began the song with a sensitive, soft tone, with some of the ladies in the audience already swooning before the song moved into the change; as it built up into the chorus Yuri held his breath, knowing what Phichit could do; as he hit the first few notes of the chorus some in the audience broke into cheers. He went into an abbreviated version of the second verse that cut from the end of the first two lines into the change once more before one last chorus in which Phichit gave it his all, improvising slightly but not enough to change the song at all before ending with the last few soft notes. The audience erupted into wild cheers, and as he looked down Phichit saw Celestino grinning from ear to ear and Minako standing as she applauded; Yakov was stoic as always.

“Phichit!! This was fantastic!” Minako said as she sat down. “It's such an iconic song it was a huge gamble to take it on, but you nailed it. The sensitivity, the emotion, it was all there. Excellent performance.”

“I gotta agree. And I gotta say anyone that dares to try to take on Steve Perry has some serious guts in my book,” Celestino agreed. “This was spot on. It's tempting to say it was a little _too_ textbook, but to be fair there's not a lot you can do with this song because it's already perfection. Excellent job and a perfect showcase for your very considerable range.”

“Your voice can do anything,” Yakov said. “This song is a masterclass in singing, and you have passed with flying colors. Excellent performance.”

Phichit felt like he was floating off the stage as he left once Morooka gave his voting information, and he high-fived Victor as he headed to the stage door. Phichit stayed nearby at Seung Gil's direction then, with Yuuto bringing the rest of the contestants up to wait near the stage door while Morooka introduced Victor, as they would all be returning to the stage after Victor's performance.

“Our final contestant comes to us by way of Saint Petersburg, Russia, where he was a ballet dancer, musician and YouTube sensation while still remaining that country's best-kept secret. Well he's a secret no more. You've been waiting all evening for this performer and here he is. Singing “One Thing Leads to Another” by The Fixx, here is Victor Nikiforov!”

The crowd exploded as Victor walked out on stage to the driving beat of the intro to the song, already swaying his hips with his steps as he stopped at center stage, launching into the mildly funky vocal. His body moved and swayed with the dance beat as he stalked over the stage, the fans in the pit going insane as he got close and reached down to slap a few hands, causing more screams and squeals. There was a short musical interlude where the beat pumped even harder and Victor broke into a pout, thrusting his hips and causing bedlam among the audience as he powered into the final verse and chorus before the band ended the song on a decisive down-note as he sang the last “a-NO-ther!!” with just as much force then struck an authoritative ending pose, staring the audience down as they broke into deafening screams and shrieks. At the judges' table, Minako and Celestino were standing and applauding, with Minako breaking into a huge grin as Victor broke character, looking out over the audience and drinking in their high-volume screaming and cheering with a grin of his own and a flush playing over his face until the “Quiet Please” messages went up to settle them down.

“Victor!!!” Celestino grinned; just speaking his name caused more squeals and screams in the audience. “This was a fantastic choice for you. It was sassy and funky and I loved your attitude and your overall presentation. And the vocal was kickass. Excellent job, and I gotta add that the recorded version of this is just as good. I knew you were gonna nail this as soon as I heard it in the studio.”

“Now I'm the one who's thinking it's hot in here!” Minako quipped, with more screams from the audience in response. “Oh my god that could not have been a better song choice or a better way to end the performances tonight. Just when I think that we've figured you out you go and surprise us again. I was completely expecting Def Leppard or some other hair metal from you but you came out and nailed this New Wave classic. Loved it loved it loved it.”

“It is very obvious you consider carefully every song choice you make. You play up all your strengths but you do it with songs we would not expect, so those strengths are that much more obvious. I have every reason to believe you will be here next week and I am looking forward to seeing what else you surprise us with,” Yakov concluded.

Morooka congratulated Victor on his performance then gave his voting information. Seung Gil then signaled for the remaining eleven contestants to join Victor on the stage; once they did, Morooka announced that there would be a recap of all twelve performances. The contestants turned around to face the stage-to-ceiling LED screens as clips of each of their performances played, with all of their voting information listed at the bottom of the screens. In an interesting twist, only the chorus of Minami's performance was sampled, mercifully avoiding embarrassing him any further. They all then turned back around as Morooka stood in the center of the twelve contestants.

“The voting is now open and all iTunes songs are live!” he announced with a flourish. “Tune in tomorrow for the half-hour results show with musical guest, Japan's living legend Namie Amuro. And remember, every vote and download counts. If you want to keep your favorite in the competition you _have to vote!_ We'll see you back here tomorrow. Morooka – out!”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *apologizes profusely* ahhhh sorry for this chapter being exceptionally late. A combination of some really serious writers' block and prep for the US Thanksgiving holiday this week left me with very little time to get this written and posted over the weekend. The next two or three weekends will be busy for me as well, so there may be a few more late updates in the coming weeks, just so all are aware.
> 
> The [Spotify playlist](https://open.spotify.com/user/fallbackintome/playlist/0jJjh4a3fv5oXd7iSJMhSH) for the fic has been updated with this week's songs. As always, thanks so much for reading, commenting, and the kudos! :) And for those of you in the US who celebrate, Happy Thanksgiving!


	8. Results - Week One and Live Shows - Week Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The performances get bigger and tensions start to slowly surface as the Superstars head into Week Two of the live shows.

**Results Show, Week One**

The twelve contestants had just filed backstage after a rehearsal of the results show (sans the actual eliminations) for hair and makeup and to change into their Georgi-styled outfits. The half-hour show would likely be quite nerve-wracking, as not only were the eliminations dragged out over the course of the half hour (or really, 22 minutes with commercials) but there had been a change to where the contestants would be as the show went on: Rather than the green room, there were now twelve silver chairs on a riser at stage left where the contestants would watch the proceedings, including the live musical guest, from the stage. Victor was of the mind that the producers had realized how much juicy reaction footage they'd missed out on by having the contestants backstage during the previous night's show, and were doing an abrupt change of plans as it was obvious the risers had been taken from somewhere else hastily, as they didn't match the stage.

Yuri and Minami were chatting away in Japanese as they sat next to each other in their makeup chairs, still on a high after watching one of Japan's music icons Namie Amuro perform a runthrough of her song, after which she'd stopped over to the side of the stage where the contestants sat to have a word with everyone. She'd been nice enough to take photos with everyone and sign a few things and while the majority of the cast wasn't familiar with her, Yuri and Minami were still quite in awe. Once they'd both been forced to quiet down as Anya began to work on Yuri and her assistant on Minami, Yuri wondered to himself if meeting all these celebrities would ever get old. Right now, he was pretty sure it never would.

The backstage area was a hustle and bustle of activity as the contestants rotated through fittings with Georgi, hair with Anya's styling team and makeup with Anya and her assistant. Once everyone was dressed and touched up they assembled in the green room to run through the vocal arrangement for the group number they'd been charged with doing to open the results show. Takeshi had come up with a twelve-voice version of “Don't Stop Believin'” by Journey and while everyone had their solo bits down, Takeshi wanted to run through the chorus a few more times to make sure the harmonies were right. The producers had thrown about the idea of pre-recording the group numbers, but just about all the contestants had balked; if they had to do the group number at all, they weren't going to half-ass it. And as the twelve of them nailed the harmonies perfectly, Takeshi was all right with that decision. For as quickly as it had been put together, the patchwork of different vocal tones wove together unexpectedly well.

As the audience began to fill in and they were told it was 30 minutes to air, the contestants sat down in the green room to relax and collect themselves after an extremely busy morning. It was the first time anyone had a real chance to think about what was to come and the mood had turned somber as a result. It was the elephant in the room that out of everyone, Minami was most likely to go home, but no one wanted to say anything and make the situation worse. After the twelve of them had been through so much, they'd all only had one week to enjoy it all together before their numbers were lessened by one. Minami's mood had been helped by the sound check from earlier, so the conversation stayed light until the five minute warning was called. Yuuto came to the door and led the contestants to the stage door, where they heard the countdown to going live. They filed onto the stage behind a screen that would be lifted when their performance would begin as they listened to the lead-in video package reviewing the previous night's performances. As Seung-Gil started the hand-signal countdown from ten, everyone drew a deep breath and took their places as Morooka introduced them, the band waiting for Takeshi's signal to begin.

“And now, for the final time together as the Top Twelve, here are our Superstars!” Morooka announced, the judges already in their seats as the first piano notes rang out, the screen rising in front of them as the crowd erupted in cheers when they recognized the classic song. They stepped out as a group, walking somewhat to the pace of the music, with Phichit singing the first line.

**Phichit:** Just a small town girl  
**Sara:** Living in her lonely world  
**Chris:** She took the midnight train going anywhere  
**Yuri:** Just a city boy  
**Leo:** Born and raised in South Detroit  
**JJ:**  He took the midnight train going anywhere

They then split off into two groups of six, one to stage left, one to stage right as Takeshi wailed away on the staccato guitar riff that bridged the first and second verse together. They continued with the solos, the crowd continuing to react as each contestant sang their few notes.

**Yura:** A singer in a smokey room  
**Mila:** The smell of wine and cheap perfume  
**Otabek:** For a smile they can share the night  
**Guang Hong:** It goes on and on and on and on  
**Minami:** Strangers, waiting, up and down the boulevard  
**Victor:** Their shadows, searching in the night

As Victor held out the soaring note on the word “night” they moved to center stage, the gap between the two groups closing as Takeshi began the iconic guitar solo that led into the equally iconic chorus. The crowd exploded as the stunning harmonies carried across the arena, and on the stage Yuri, Victor and a few of the other contestants felt a thrill as the group nailed the vocals together, the audience singing back at them. They sang through the chorus a total of four times, with Victor, Yuri, Phichit and Chris each taking one of the improvised lines that mingled over it, then finished with a twelve-part harmony, a capella “don't stop!” to end the song, after which the show cut to a break. As soon as the cameras were off all twelve of them let out a yell, with Yuri and Phichit jumping up and down and Celestino and Minako applauding and grinning as the contestants headed over to the twelve chairs set up stage left, with the crew scrambling to set up Namie Amuro's band's equipment behind the screen, which had been dropped back down over the stage.

“Hooohhhhhhh my god that was amazing!!” Phichit said, hardly able to sit still as he took his place next to Yuri in the first row of six, with the other six contestants sitting a step up behind them.

“I know! We only practiced that for a total of about five hours, I'm shocked it worked out so well,” Yuri replied. “I want to see video of that, we'll have to look it up later.”

The show came back from the break then and once the audience quieted, Morooka got down to the business at hand.

“We saw some great performances last night,” Morooka said. “But now it's time to find out who among our finalist is safe, and who is going home. Kieran*, dim the lights, and here we go.”

The lights dimmed in the studio then, with a blue cast over the stage and spotlights shining down on the twelve contestants, accompanied by some low, tense-sounding music that made more than a few of the contestants feel the onset of nerves.

“The first contestant, in no particular order, is Otabek,” Morooka announced, at which Otabek rose and came forward.

“Otabek, you performed “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears. Your performance was well-liked by the judges,” Morooka continued. “Yakov said that you're learning very well how to perform for an audience. Minako said that there is a nice confidence about you. And Celestino was pretty certain the ladies loved your performance.” He then opened a folded card in his hand that Otabek saw his name printed on the front of. “And... the viewers.... agreed. Otabek, you are safe, you can return to your seat.”

The crowd had begun to applaud as soon as Morooka had pronounced him safe, and all the contestants joined in as he returned to the row of chairs, with Yura giving him a high five as he sat back down.

“Mila, please,” Morooka called next, and she walked over to center stage. “You performed “Black Velvet” by Alannah Myles. Overall the judges loved your performance. Minako thought it was the perfect song choice for you. Celestino said it was a really nice job. And Yakov said you have a strong sense of who you are as a performer. And... the viewers think so as well. Mila, you are safe.”

Even though Mila really had no reason to worry, she still exhaled sharply as she gave a fistpump then turned and headed back to the chairs, where Yuri gave her a hug before she sat down.

“Guang Hong,” Morooka called next, and the young man headed over, unconsciously wringing his hands and keeping them clasped as Morooka began.

“Guang Hong, you performed “Human” by The Human League. Both Celestino and Minako felt the performance was safe, though they also agreed you sang it well. Yakov agreed with his fellow judges and felt it was too safe. And our viewers... agreed with... the judges. Guang Hong, you are in the bottom three. Please stand at center stage.”

Guang Hong swallowed hard as he moved to the first of the three X's at center stage; over at the chairs the remaining contestants felt the first real apprehension of the evening as Yura was called next.

“Yura, you performed David Cook's version of “(Don't You) Forget About Me” by Simple Minds. “Both Minako and Celestino thought that the arrangement fit you very well. Yakov said he thinks you're capable of better, but that it was a strong performance,” Morooka began. “And our viewers agreed with... Minako and Celestino. Yura, you are safe.”

As Yura returned to the chairs, Phichit was called; Morooka knew there was no point in wasting time stalling this time. “Phichit, you sang “Open Arms” by Journey. All three of our judges loved it, and our viewers agreed. You are safe.”

Morooka then called Minami, who already seemed halfway to tears as he took his place next to Morooka. “Minami, you sang “Wake Me Up (Before You Go-Go)” by Wham. Unfortunately, you had a pretty rough performance, and all three judges agreed that you need to be more prepared for things like forgetting words. Minami, you are in the bottom three, please go and stand next to Guang Hong.”

Even though they all knew it was coming, the rest of the contestants over in the chairs had expressions that ranged from sadness to unreadable. JJ shifted nervously in his seat at seeing his two friends from the Group Round both standing at center stage in the bottom three. The show cut to break and Namie Amuro's band's equipment was brought forward on a moving platform; Guang Hong and Minami were temporarily relegated back to their seats on the stage for the performance, where they received hugs and words of encouragement from their fellow contestants. Once the show returned from break and Namie performed, the platform was drawn back and the screen dropped as Guang Hong and Minami were brought back to center stage to continue the culling of the contestants.

“Jean-Jacques, you performed “We Close Our Eyes” by Go West. “Minako said it was a great song choice but didn't show your full potential. Celestino said you need to work on not being distracted by the audience. And Yakov said you did well but he believes you can do better. And our viewers... think you deserve another shot. JJ you are safe.”

JJ immediately put on a huge grin, raising both fists over his head as he headed back to the chairs, his demeanor calming down a bit as the other contestants were remaining stoic the closer the count got to the final name going to the bottom three.

“Yuri, you're up,” Morooka announced. Yuri took a deep breath and stood up, with a last pat on the arm from Phichit and another from Victor behind him in the top row of chairs, on his shoulder before he headed to center stage.

“Yuri, you sang “Kyrie” by Mr. Mister. Celestino said he was 'diggin it'. Minako said it was a really great job. And Yakov said your vocals are so impeccable it makes people want to listen even more, but also made note that you need to work on your presentation when not playing an instrument.” Morooka paused then, just long enough to cause a bit of uneasiness; over at the chairs, Victor was getting ready to fight someone if Yuri was somehow in the bottom three.

Morooka appeared to wait for a sign of uncertainty in Yuri's face, as he began to speak as soon as there was the faintest hint of it. “Yuri, the viewers have voted and... you... are safe. Head on back to the chairs,” Morooka finally said; Yuri covered his face with both hands for a moment, breathing a heavy sigh of relief as he went back to his seat where Phichit bear hugged him and Victor gave his shoulders a squeeze as his name was called next.

“Victor, you sang “One Thing Leads to Another” by The Fixx. Celestino said the vocals were kickass. Minako loved it loved it loved it. Yakov is looking forward to seeing what else you can surprise us with... and so are the viewers. You are safe, head on back to the chairs,” Morooka said, as with Phichit not even bothering to stall and calling Christophe up as Victor returned to his seat.

“Chris, you performed “Simply Irresistible” by Robert Palmer. Minako called the performance 'in-sane'. Celestino called it a total package performance.” Morooka paused then as a murmur of laughter at the innuendo went through the crowd. “Yakov reminded you to not let the theatrics become more important than your voice. The viewers have spoken... and you... are safe, go ahead back to the chairs.” Chris pressed his hands together and nodded to the camera with the gesture of gratitude before heading back; as he sat down, Morooka called the remaining two contestants, Leo and Sara, together to center stage.

“Leo, you sang “Man In the Mirror” by Michael Jackson. Minako said it was a very good choice for you. Celestino said taking on MJ took a lot of guts. Yakov said you are learning to connect with the audience.” He then paused, turning to Sara. “Sara, you performed “Into The Groove” by Madonna. All three judges thought you did the song well, but that it was a very safe choice for you.” He paused then, letting his words sink in; as the tension mounted, Leo wrapped his arm around Sara's shoulders in support.

“The viewers voted and Sara...” She looked up at Morooka, biting her lip. “Sara, you are in the bottom three. Leo, you are safe, head back over to the chairs.” Leo paused to hug Sara tightly before heading back, where the rest of the contestants' emotions ranged from surprised (Otabek) to mildly angry (Phichit, who knew Sara was more than likely safe but upset for her all the same).

“We have our first bottom three of the season. Who will stay and who will go home? We'll find out... after the break,” Morooka said, and the show cut to a commercial.

Yuri looked over at the judges' table, where all three seemed unfazed by the results. As he went over the performances in his mind, Yuri had to unfortunately agree with the bottom three; however, all things considered, he was reasonably certain that Guang Hong and Sara were safe, but he was still worried for Sara most of all.

“Sara better not go home,” Mila growled. “Sure her song was safe, but at least she remembered the words.”

“Seriously,” Yura replied. “I think it's pretty obvious who should go.”

“Now now let's not get catty,” Chris said. “Poor Minami just got hit with stage fright. It can happen to any one of us, and karma is a bitch.” He patted Yura on the shoulder at that; the teen scowled at him in return.

Seung Gil gave the ten second warning and everyone took their places as the show went live for the final elimination.

“We are back with our bottom three for this week: Minami, Guang Hong and Sara. Judges, do you agree with this bottom three?”

“I think it's fair,” Yakov said. “Each of these performers is capable of much more than they gave us last night.”

“I sadly have to agree,” Minako said. “A lot of it is just inexperience. In regular circumstances you have that time to grow and develop. But in this situation it's do or die, you have to be perfect.”

“I hate to see anyone have to go but it's the nature of the beast,” Celestino said. “But no matter who goes home, you still made it a hell of a long way, and you have something to build on going forward.”

“All right then, let's get to it,” Morooka said, and the lights dimmed one last time.

“The first person that is safe tonight... is... Sara.” In response Sara let out a squeal, covering her face with one hand, then turning to hug Guang Hong and Minami quickly before she headed back to the seats, being hustled along by Seung Gil's off-camera direction. Minami and Guang Hong wrapped an arm around each other's shoulders as Morooka turned back to them.

“Minami... Guang Hong... the viewers have spoken and... the person going home tonight is...” Morooka let a very long few moments tick by, during which both young men's faces became even more worried, which appeared to be Morooka's cue.

“...Minami, you are going home tonight.” The crowd erupted in boos and angry shouts as Minami and Guang Hong hugged, then Guang Hong returned to his seat. Morooka placed an arm around Minami's shoulders in consolation.

“You've had an amazing run and you really grew a lot,” Morooka said. “Take a look at the screens for a retrospective of your journey.”

The studio went dark then and the LED screens came to life with a montage of Minami's time on the show, from his audition, to the first Hollywood Week solo round, the group round, Sudden Death round and the Showcase, then ending with just a bit of the chorus of his performance from the night before. Over in the chairs Sara was tearing up and most of the other contestants were visibly saddened save for Otabek and Yura whose expressions were somewhat unreadable. JJ had pulled in his lip to bite at it at his own rush of emotion as one of his closest friends among the contestants was already going home.

“And that's our show for this week. Minami is going to sing us out. Join us next week when our theme will be The Greatest Hits of Broadway. Until then: Morooka – out!”

At that cue the band went into a reprise of Minami's song from that week, “Wake Me Up (Before You Go-Go)”; ironically, he nailed the lyrics perfectly. He fell into his usual happy persona, seeming to forget for those few minutes that the song lasted that he'd been eliminated. As the band finished with the audience applauding Minami encouragingly, the remaining contestants came to center stage to envelop him in a group hug – and that was when it all caught up to him and Minami teared up, the realization hitting him that he would be leaving the competition, and his friends, behind.

 

**Three Days Later – iTunes Single Recording Sessions & Performance Mentoring with Emil**

There was very little time to mull over the departure of Minami, however. After one last night in the mansion where the twelve contestants shared a final dinner, Minami left the next day to go on a press tour of the major station affiliates in New York City and make several appearances on the major talk shows to sing and give interviews. JJ was adjusting to having lost his roommate, with his rather large and spacious room now all to himself. The eleven remaining contestants began working on their songs for the coming week after seeing Minami off the morning after the results show. They had received the schedule of the themes for each week during the interim time between the end of Hollywood Week and the first live show, as well as lists of the available songs and CDs containing the original recordings for their reference. As a result pretty much everyone had chosen their songs and nailed them down for the first few weeks so they were able to get right to work.

For most of the contestants, the Top 11 Week theme, The Greatest Hits of Broadway, wasn't too much of a stretch. Most had either performed some of the songs on the available list for one reason or another, or had actually been in a production one or more of the songs were from. The most difficulty was had by Yura and Otabek, neither of which had much experience or knowledge of Broadway at all. With some suggestions from Leo and JJ respectively they were able to come up with something that fit, though both remained a bit unsure of their choices.

After the first two days of working up the arrangements and rehearsing with Takeshi and the band and vocal mentoring with Lilia, the third day was taken up with recording their songs for iTunes and performance mentoring with Emil. Five of the contestants waited in the recording studio on one side of the Eros Entertainment Complex as the other six waited their turn to work with Emil; once the groups were done, they would switch up.

Yuri had just finished singing through his song while Takeshi adjusted the levels on the soundboard in preparation for the recording; sitting next to him was Minako, the judges' mentor for the week. Her hand covered her mouth as she listened back to the soundcheck track; in the booth, Yuri watched her reactions, feeling a bit worried. Finally, she flipped on the microphone so Yuri could hear her in the booth.

“I think this is a good song for you,” she said. “Can you tell me why you chose it?”

“I saw a touring production of this musical and this song really resonated with me because of some stuff that happened while I was in college,” Yuri said. “I've always enjoyed singing it on my own and when I saw it on the list for this week I really wanted to do it.”

“I just think that considering what the lyrics are about, you'll really need to put it across with a lot of conviction. I know this was just a practice runthrough, so when you do it again I want you to really think about what these lyrics mean to you, and put that forth in your vocals. Use the emotions that you felt whenever that situation in your life happened, and how this song relates to it,” Minako advised.

Yuri nodded in response as Takeshi finished his adjustments. “All right Yuri, ready when you are,” he said.

 

“How do you feel about dancing? Can you do any?”

Emil was working with Mila in the dance room on the presentation of her chosen song for the week.

“This song is really energetic, and the original performance of it in the musical is very dance-based. I don't think we need to go full-on reproducing what was done but I'd like to see you do something with it more than just singing,” he continued.

Mila put a finger to her lips pensively. “I am familiar with the staging of it because I have the DVD of the final show they did. I know I don't dance like that,” she said with a laugh, “but I definitely think I can do some simple stuff just to accent it.”

“They're talking about using headset microphones this week in case anyone wants to get more mobile out there,” Emil said. “If you're going to dance I'd suggest that. We can maybe come up with something that reminds people of the original choreography while doing something that isn't too tough for you to pull off while you're singing. And you'll have to think about what kind of shoes you're going to wear. If you're not used to dancing, I'd suggest something with a low, chunky heel, kind of like the boots the actress wears.”

“That sounds about like what I was thinking too,” Mila said. “Let's see what we can come up with then, I'm game.”

Emil grinned then. “That's what I like to hear!” he replied.

 

“Oh my god, I'm going to lose it. You just had to pick this song didn't you Chris?”

Minako was dabbing at her eyes in an attempt to not disturb her eye makeup as she teared up for the third time in as many takes of Chris' chosen song.

“Your voice on this is so... you're capturing the emotions of it beautifully. I really love that we're getting to see this sensitive side of you,” she continued. “Did you have a specific reason for choosing this song?”

Chris seemed apprehensive at first to expand on it, but then leaned into the microphone to speak from the booth. “I don't relate to the song as it's placed in the musical, but to the lyrics as a whole. I'm sort of coming back to that theme from the Showcase round a bit, because it's a song that's special to him and me.”

“Well I think we'll only need one more take on this to fix a little bit of the low notes in the beginning,” Takeshi said. “You're nailing this for sure though. I think you're going to blow everyone away with this one.”

Chris smiled demurely from the booth, a bit of a flush playing over his face. “Thank you. I'm glad I'm doing it justice. It's such a brilliant piece of music from an amazing show.”

“Absolutely,” Minako said. “Now let's just work on those low notes a bit. Why don't we bump the key on the instrumental track up a half-step, and have you try a run through like that. It might sit in your range more comfortably.”

“I like that idea, I have been struggling a little with the first few lines because they're so low,” Chris said. “Let's try that.”

“Comin' right up,” Takeshi replied.

 

Emil had just finished listening as the band's second keyboardist accompanied Phichit on piano for a runthrough of his song, and he was practically bouncing off the walls.

“Wooooooooooo boy! What a set of pipes on you!” Emil said with an excited grin. “This performance is going to blow the roof off the place, and that's just from hearing it with a piano.”

Phichit grinned, just as excited. “I'm so psyched to be getting to do this song! I was really hoping no one else would take it when I saw it on the list.”

“It's a great song choice for you, definitely,” Emil said. “Did you have any ideas for staging it that you wanted to try?”

“Well I was thinking of maybe trying to dance some, or at the very least get a bit theatrical with the presentation,” Phichit said. “The theater major in me needs to move!”

“Ah, a fellow theater kid, I love it!” Emil grinned. “I did theater before I auditioned for Anastasis, in secondary school, so I think we're going to be on the same page here as far as presentation. Why don't you sing it through again if you feel like your voice is up to it, and show me what you have in mind and we'll go from there.”

 

“This is a really fun song and while it's not your typical Broadway, I think this fits you really well.”

Yura had just finished a practice runthrough in the studio of his song, and both Takeshi and Minako were in approval of his choice.

“The only thing I think you need to do with this though is have less of an angry sound to it, and more of an enthusiastic, fun sound to your vocal tone,” Takeshi said. “I was in the band for this on Broadway for a couple of months, and the point of this song is that the singer is encouraging the other people he's singing to in this part of the show. Have you ever seen it before?”

Yura shook his head. “No, I haven't. I saw the movie it was made from though, that's why I thought it would be cool to do this song.”

“Well, that's better than nothing,” Takeshi nodded. “Think about the scene in the movie that this is based on. It's enthusiastic, fun, there's an excitement to it.”

“The main thing I'm seeing with your singing, Yura,” Minako added, “is that there's a similar feel to it whatever kind of song you're doing. You have to learn to tailor your voice to the song you're doing, to fit the mood. For this you're going to want to capture that optimism that this scene portrays.”

Yura listened attentively, then nodded. “Okay. I'll try my best,” he replied.

 

Emil hadn't stopped laughing for most of the time he'd spent with Leo as the pair worked out ideas for the presentation of his song.

“This was one of my favorite movies growing up and I was so stoked when they did it as a musical,” Emil said. “When I finally got to go to New York City I told the management for Anastasis that we had to have a day free to go see it. So you doing this song is a total blast.”

“It's one of my favorites too,” Leo said. “It's too happy a song not to do something fun with.”

“I don't know where these moves of yours are coming from but I'm dying over here,” Emil said. “I think we're going to have to go with a headset mic for this, definitely.”

Leo started cracking up then. “Yeah or I'll be like a Wii player flinging my mic into the audience!”

Emil burst out laughing again. “Oh my god, you'll fuck up and bean Yakov in the head and that's it, your ass is going home!”

Leo's eyes went wide then and he laughed even harder. “Oh my goooodddd that would be so mortifying I'd eliminate myself from the competition, I'd just pack my bags right then and there!”

Once the pair had worked through their latest laughing fit, Emil brought them back on task. “Okay, let's run through these steps and blocking one more time. If your voice feels up to it, maybe sing it out this time to see if we need to work on breath control or modify. I wish we had more time to really kick some butt on this, but we'll do what we can in the time we've got. I think you can handle it.”

 

Minako was working with Guang Hong on his song choice, and to say she was concerned was an understatement.

“I don't know if this is the best choice for you,” she said. “Are you familiar with the musical at all?”

“I've seen the DVD they made of it, and I saw a school production of it at home,” Guang Hong replied.

“Then you know that this song isn't really in character for you,” she replied. “I don't know if you can really capture what it's about. Your vocal is really pretty on it, but I'm worried it's not going to be believable.”

“This was pretty much the only song I was really familiar with,” Guang Hong replied. “I don't know much about Broadway at all, I've never listened to that kind of music really.”

Minako sighed, covering her mouth with her hand as she considered the situation further. “All right... I guess I can't argue with you going with something you know and are comfortable with. But let's work on trying to capture the spirit of this song a little more, a bit more of the emotion. I think you can do it, we just need to find the right way to get there.”

 

“Good lord girl, you're hitting me right in the feels. This is one of my favorite Broadway songs and you're slaying it.”

Emil had just finished listening to Sara run through her song with the piano accompaniment, and was quite impressed with what he'd heard.

“So you said you've seen this musical,” he continued, “so that means you know the setting on this song is pretty sparse. It's supposed to feel lonely and sad. I don't think we need to do a whole lot of staging with this, except for maybe some movement around the stage to get the emotions across.”

Sara nodded as she listened. “Yes, I was in a production of it too while I was in university.”

“Oh you've done theater?” he asked.

“A little. I've always liked to sing. My brother was in the production and he encouraged me to try out, and I got in doing this part.”

“Didn't Mickey get you to audition for the show too?” Emil asked.

Sara had to smile then. “He did. I honestly thought he'd be here now instead of me.”

“Funny how things work out,” Emil said. “I think you're right where you're supposed to be, especially with what I'm hearing here. Let's run through it again, you don't have to sing full out if you want to conserve your voice, since I know you already did your recording today. But let's figure out where we need emphasis through your movements, and the rest will follow naturally.”

 

“You seriously have a huge voice. This song is pretty much perfect for your presentation and range.”

Takeshi was listening back through the practice track as Minako appraised JJ's performance.

“I played this part in a production in college,” JJ said. “It wasn't that long ago so I remember the stuff I learned from the director about putting it forward the right way.”

“It definitely sounds like you know the character well,” Minako said. “You have the right amount of tension and passion in your voice. The only thing I'd say is to watch that you don't get _too_ over the top. It's very easy to do with this song, so you have to be careful when it's being performed out of the context of the show.”

“Yeah, I can't tell you how many really bad auditions we saw of this when we were doing them,” Takeshi said. “You have to find that happy medium between keeping the spirit of the song, and not going too overboard when you're not going to be in full costume and makeup for it.”

JJ listened to everything, taking it all in. “Well, on this next run through just let me know where I need to tone it down, and I'll do that,” he replied. “I definitely can see how it would be pretty out there without being in the setting of the show.”

“I can do that,” Minako said. “We're making good time so far, so we have enough time to do a few takes if we have to. Let's take it from the top.”

 

“Are you sure you want to stick with this song? It's kind of... I don't want to say cheating but...”

Emil was rather uncertain about Otabek's song choice, and after some debate decided to voice his concerns.

“I'm not familiar with Broadway music at all,” Otabek confessed. “But this was on the list of songs, because it was used in the musical. JJ said he thought it was a good song for me. I guess it wouldn't be on there if it wasn't considered a Broadway song?”

“True that,” Emil replied. “I'm just worried that the judges won't see it that way. The song fits your voice and your personality, but to be honest I'm surprised they put it on the list, because it seriously is a stretch.”

“I don't know if I can really change it now, since I already recorded it. Minako didn't seem to have too much of a problem with it,” Otabek replied.

Emil stood leaning his hip against the piano, chin in hand as he mulled it over. “All right... I guess you'll have to keep it then. We'll come up with some staging for it, but there's not really even a lot going on in the musical for this part where it's used. I just hope this one works out for you, my friend, because to be honest I'm worried it won't.”

 

“That's it. I quit. I don't ever want to sing again after hearing you do this song.”

Minako and Takeshi were shaking their heads after Victor's first full-on take of his chosen song.

“I don't even know how you are so versatile vocally,” Minako said. “Usually performers can do one or two genres pretty well and falter on the others, but you just keep nailing everything.”

“I've just always been into a bit of all kinds of music,” Victor said. “And this was one of my favorite musicals that I'd gotten to see while I was in the UK for a while. I've never really had an opportunity to do this song so when I saw it on the list I grabbed it before anyone else could. I got into a bit of a tiff with JJ over it,” he laughed.

“Oh really?” Minako asked, interest piqued.

“Yes, he tried to take it but I'd already claimed it, and we got into a bit of an argument. I told him my second choice and it was another that he liked, so he took that instead.”

“Well I'm kind of glad he took the other song,” Minako said. “Because I don't see him capturing the emotions in quite the same way you do. If I didn't know better I'd say there's some personal relating to this going on.”

Victor was quiet for a few moments then as he seemed to consider his words. “Mm, you could say that. Not literally, but I've been in a situation where I've questioned things.”

Minako got the distinct impression Victor wasn't willing to expand further, so she moved on from there. “Whatever it is, it definitely comes through in your delivery of this song. I don't think we need to do too much more with it, but I'd like one more take just to have a backup in case Takeshi needs to nick anything for the final mix.”

Victor nodded then, adjusting his headphones. “I wasn't happy with the modulation, it felt a bit off to me, so I'm all for another take,” he replied.

Takeshi hit a few buttons on the sound board then, queuing up the instrumental track. “All right then, once more from the top... and I don't have to tell you to add feeling,” he grinned.

 

**Night Before Top 11 Performance Show**

Yuri was grateful that the house was as huge as it was. In the time they'd had to get used to their temporary home during the interim between Hollywood Week and the first performance show, the contestants had settled into routines and found ways to utilize the giant house. The two largest bedrooms had gone unused, with both opening out onto the terrace; they were also on the the opposite side of the house from the majority of the contestants. As such, everyone had gravitated to using them as rehearsal rooms and when the producers found this out, they sent in sound techs to temporarily hang the walls with soundproofing foam.

He was always anxious the night before a performance of any kind, but the exceptional amount of anxiety that seemed to crash down on him before the first performance show had seemed to snowball this week, escalating that much more. It was nearly midnight and he knew they had an 8 am wake-up for a 9 am call time, but he just needed to work on his song for a bit longer, to just feel confident with it.

He had been feeling good about the song, with even Minako and Emil approving, up until today during the full-show runthrough rehearsal. It was Takeshi that had raised the concern that Yakov had been emphasizing that Yuri was best with an instrument, but Yuri had given the song a theatrical treatment wherein he was on stage without one, instead doing some movement that was more like musical acting. They'd then sat down and Takeshi had helped Yuri work out the song on acoustic guitar, with him accompanying the band. It actually sounded really good, and Yuri had to admit he felt much more grounded with the instrument in his hands.

But now that meant the entire game plan had changed. He needed to commit this guitar part to memory and, almost like the Group Rounds, he had only a scant few hours to do it. The song wasn't difficult, but he didn't want to blank out on it either – and then there was the whole singing and playing at the same time, with the possibility of Yuri forgetting the words because he was worried about getting the guitar right. Takeshi had told him to stop playing if he got lost with it... but Yuri was too worried about what would happen if he did.

So now he was forgoing sleep to work on his song, too anxious about it to rest. He knew he needed to preserve his voice so he read along to the song's lyrics on his iPad, mouthing them silently to commit them to memory that much more as he played the guitar. He hadn't missed the chord sequence once, but as he finished the sixth time through, he decided he needed just one more... maybe two.

“Yurrrriiii... why are you not in bed?”

He looked up to see Victor in his usual jersey-material shorts and t-shirt, standing near the doorway. He'd apparently slipped in while Yuri was playing through the song, listening to it through his headphones.

“I could ask you the same thing, actually,” Yuri replied as Victor sat down on the unused bed in the room.

“Can't sleep. I'm excited about tomorrow. This song is one of my favorites and it means a lot to me, so I'm dying to get out there,” Victor said. “You too?”

“Not exactly,” Yuri said. “Takeshi made a last-minute change to my performance. I'm playing guitar now where I wasn't before. I didn't know the song on guitar though it's easy enough, but now I'm trying to make sure I've got it down before tomorrow. I was feeling good about everything till then.”

Victor's mouth twisted into a grimace. “Ugh. He should know better than to throw something like that at you.”

“He doesn't know me as well as... well as... you do.” Yuri paused at that; besides Phichit, Victor was the only one he'd really opened up to about his anxiety so far, though Leo and Sara suspected it to some degree. “I've never told anyone involved with the show. I don't need them thinking I'm weak. I'm not... when I get out there I feel better... it's just getting to that point that's the problem. I was feeling pretty secure about everything till today.”

“I think you'll be fine. If you stumble on the chords just stop playing,” Victor said.

“That's what Takeshi said to do but... then I'm worried about it distracting me enough to forget the words,” Yuri replied.

“You're overthinking it now,” Victor said. “I know that's easy for me to say, but I do think you are. How well did you know the song when you chose it?”

“Very well. It's one of my favorites.”

“Then I think you'll be fine.”

“Tell that to Minami,” Yuri shot back, his anxiety making him edgy now; Yuri knew he needed to dial it back when Victor's expression seemed stung.

“Sorry... I'm just... I need to work on this,” Yuri said.

Victor sighed then, standing up from the bed. “All right. But don't lose too much sleep. If you're tired you'll just make matters worse.” He seemed to hesitate for a moment, then stepped forward to lay a hand on Yuri's shoulder.

“You'll be all right. I have faith in you,” Victor said, his tone soft. “Goodnight, Yuri.” And with that he turned, walking out the door and shutting it behind him with slightly more force than was needed. Yuri, however, didn't notice, as he'd been putting his ear buds back in before Victor was out of the room.

Victor wandered through the quiet house, wide awake and unsure what to do with himself. Even Makkachin was asleep on his bed as the clock struck midnight. He finally made his way back upstairs to his room, coming in carefully so as not to disturb Chris. He lay down in bed, at which Makkachin woke up just long enough to wriggle under his arm to cuddle up to his chest; it was then that the rush of emotion hit and he felt himself tear up.

_Just when I think I might be getting through to you, you shut me out again. I wish I knew how to get you to trust me completely..._

“Boy troubles again?” Chris asked from his bed, his back to Victor and only his head visible under the comforter.

Victor sighed in response. “He's just... I'm still figuring him out. Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you.”

“I wasn't asleep.” Chris turned to face Victor, still buried up to his neck in the blankets. “Just give him time. He's probably too worried about staying in the competition to devote much time to romance.”

“If I wait till there's no competition in the way the show will be over and who knows what will happen then,” Victor said. “We're all from different parts of the world. As close as we are now, once the tour is over and we go our separate ways?” He sighed again, pulling his own blankets up to his chin with Makkachin beneath them as well.

“Darling you're stressing over the wrong things. Worry about your performance. If the boy is meant to be yours he'll come around. Now sleep, because a crabby Victor is not a pleasant thing to deal with first thing in the morning,” Christophe said.

Victor opted to not say what was on the tip of his tongue, instead closing his eyes as Chris turned back to facing away from him. He may be stressing about the wrong thing at that particular time, but it was no less important to him. Knowing what he did about Yuri from when he'd first opened up to Victor, seeing Yuri losing sleep and worrying so much about his performance was concerning. It pulled hard at Victor's heartstrings to see someone so ridiculously, immensely talented doubt himself as much as Yuri did.

_Somehow, some way... I will find a way to get through to you... to make you believe how amazing you are._

 

**Top Eleven Week – The Greatest Hits of Broadway**

“Five minutes everyone! Please assemble and come to the stage door!”

Seung Gil had stuck his head into the dressing rooms to alert the contestants that it was just about time to head to the stage, and just as quickly ran off to make sure everything was in place for the beginning of the show. With last bits of fussing from Georgi and Anya as they filed out of the room, the eleven remaining contestants began to head down the marked pathway to the stage, where this time they would climb stairs to stand on the already-raised hydraulic platform and wait behind the screen on which the beginning video montage would be projected, which would then be raised for their entrance onto the stage.

Victor kept an eye on Yuri as they arranged themselves in line before the stairs to the stage so they would be in the order determined in dress rehearsal when they walked up. Victor noted that Yuri looked completely stunning today: Considering the musical his song was from, Georgi had gone with a vaguely pirate-esque outfit for him, with black denim skinny jeans, pointed-toe cuffed boots and a white flowy shirt that laced up from about mid chest, which Georgi had left loosely tied. With his hair slicked back and without his glasses – he'd been encouraged by both Georgi and Anya to forgo them with this outfit – he looked completely different. But Victor could see the mask of worry on his face. Even though Yuri was good at turning on a game face as soon as the lights went down Victor was still concerned his anxiety would show through – which, whether they wanted to admit it or not, all the contestants knew any sign of uncertainty or weakness could affect their votes.

Victor and Yuri were placed together in the line and as soon as he was behind Yuri, Victor placed both hands on each of the other's shoulders; Yuri twitched but seem to recognize Victor's hands when he cast a look over his shoulder and didn't try to pull away. Victor leaned in, wrapping his arms around Yuri's chest from behind and resting his chin on his shoulder.

“Yuuuuriiiii. You sounded amazing in rehearsal today. You're going to be fine. Don't worry,” Victor said into his ear.

Yuri sighed hard, his head angling just enough that it pressed gently to Victor's. “I'm trying. I thought I was good and then Emil was questioning why I changed what we'd worked out. He seemed okay when I told him why but I hope I didn't piss him off.”

“Emil is about the most easy-going person in this whole circus. I'm sure it's fine. I want to say Yura changed up his performance from what they were going with for him too, also last minute. Just focus on your singing and the rest will follow.”

The 60-second countdown to going live began and the contestants were directed to head up onto the stage; Victor released Yuri then but kept his hands on his shoulders as they walked up to stand on their marks. At the end of the countdown the studio went dark and they all looked up at what was essentially a giant movie screen, transparent enough that they could see a reversed image of the video montage and hear Morooka's voiceover as he narrated about the “iconic songs” the contestants would be performing. The montage ended and the opening music started, which got several of the contestants bouncing in place; the very infectious “You Only Live Once” was most certainly a worldwide hit for a reason. Phichit in particular was very pumped to get out there tonight; unfortunately, he was set to be the final performance of the evening.

After some banter between Morooka and the judges he finally introduced the contestants and the screen rose. Even though they knew that the amount in the audience was not greater than it was last week, they most definitely seemed louder this time and there were more signs being waved as well. After the obligatory hand slapping and shaking for those in the pit who were right up against the stage, the contestants took their seats in the same chairs that had been set up for the results show the week before. The platform was finished off this time in tones that matched the rest of the set. They'd been given no particular order to sit in so Victor managed to sit next to Yuri in the top row.

Victor was grateful they weren't wearing clip-on microphones from the chairs, as it afforded the contestants a bit of privacy unless one was a zoom-lens utilizing lip-reader. As the show went to its first commercial break before the opening performance, he wrapped an arm around Yuri's shoulders and gave him a squeeze.

“You're performing third right?” Victor asked.

Yuri nodded. “Yeah. At least I'll get it out of the way quickly. I won't have too much time to think.”

“Stop thinking now. You won't be able to concentrate once the performances begin anyway. You've got this. I know it.”

Yuri turned his head to look at Victor, who was close enough that he didn't have to squint without his glasses. A soft smile curled the corners of his mouth as he murmured a soft “thanks” just as the ten-seconds to live call was made, with the segueway version of the show's theme song playing them back into the live broadcast.

“Our first performance tonight comes from a lady whose fans are calling themselves “Mila's Minions”. They helped put her through to the top 11 last week and gave her a shot at making it to the Grand Prix Superstar World Tour, which the top 10 performers will land a spot on,” Morooka began. “Kicking off Broadway Week with “Out Tonight” from _RENT,_ here is Mila Babicheva!”

Mila had taken her place on stage during the break and as the drummer started up a short introduction she walked forward with attitude toward the front of the stage, dressed in leopard print knee-high combat boots, black leather pants and a bejeweled leopard-print bustier. She began the song, her voice already taking on a seductive tone as she fell into character, slinking across the stage as she sang the provocative lyrics, doing a bit of dancing as choreographed by Emil. Upon hearing what song she was doing Georgi immediately suggested a very specific homage to the musical and as she finished the first chorus she undid a messy bun held with a clip in her hair and tossed her bright red mane, sending glitter flying into the air and the crowd to screaming when many of them recognized the reference. The headset microphone she was wearing afforded her more freedom to move about the stage and emote, her tone softening a bit as she went into the change of the song, portraying the wistfulness of the beginning lines and building to the final chorus. She purred the final improvised lines, flirting shamelessly with both the boys and the girls in the front of the pit. She ended with her back to the audience, one fist pumping up into the air at the last note.

She turned around to the crowd going insane and a smile crossed over her face as she walked to her mark at center stage. Over at the chairs everyone was cheering wildly, with Phichit adding in an exceptionally loud whistle. Victor found that sitting out on the stage gave a much better perspective on how the crowd was feeling, and tonight was already pretty rowdy.

“Milaaaaa!” Celestino yelled as the crowd finally settled down in response to the “Quiet Please” screens. “This couldn't have been more perfect for you! I love that you got into the character so well and your vocals were on point. Great job!”

“I agree with Celestino, this was a great way to open the show,” Minako continued. “I love that you're not afraid to try different things and got a little theatrical with this. You sounded great, you looked great, great performance.”

“You are extremely versatile and that is very commendable for someone so young,” Yakov said. “You know who you are as an artist but you try things that are just different enough to keep people interested without going too far from what you do best. This was a very wise choice for you and an excellent performance.”

The audience applauded as Morooka came over with a grin. “Well you certainly gave a performance your Minions will be happy with!”

Mila laughed at that. “Oh my god I only heard about this today when we were doing rehearsals and you said it, it's so flattering!” she said with a grin.

“Do you want to say anything to them?” Morooka asked.

“Just thank you for your support and keep voting!” she laughed.

“Sounds like a good plan!” Morooka replied, then went on to give Mila's voting information and reminded everyone that the iTunes track sales would also count as votes. He then sent Mila back to the chairs as he began the intro for the next performer, who had already taken his place in the darkened part of the stage as Mila was receiving her critique.

“Our next performer has captured the hearts of many of our viewers with his interesting performances and smart song choices,” Morooka said; over in his seat Phichit frowned, which Chris noticed and made a mental note to ask him about on the commercial break. “Will tonight be another hit? Let's find out. Performing “Memory” from _Cats_ , here is Guang Hong Ji!”

Guang Hong was sitting on a stool at center stage with just his microphone and Takeshi on a baby grand piano behind him as he began the song. His clear, high tone was pitch perfect and rang out over the room, which was completely hushed. Over at the chairs Victor drew in his lower lip with an uncertain expression as he looked at the crowd; he could see people definitely losing interest at the performance, which sounded more like pleasant karaoke than a performance on an international television talent show. As Guang Hong went into the final verse, hitting the high notes with relative ease, there was still little reaction even though he sounded quite lovely. As he finished the crowd applauded politely, but several of the contestants were most definitely concerned for their friend – especially with the unreadable expressions on the judges' faces as he took his mark at center stage.

“Guang Hong, sweetie... I don't know why you picked this song to be honest,” Minako said. “It's a song about someone near the end of their life thinking back on their past. I don't see how you could really relate to it and your performance made that very obvious. This wasn't a good choice for you at all. You sounded lovely and you have a pretty voice but... between your performance and the arrangement there isn't too much there.”

Celestino drew in a deep breath as he saw Guang Hong's facial expression dropping; this was definitely the hardest part of the job. “I'm with Minako on this one. I know you're not familiar with a lot of Broadway but I really think you could have found something else that worked better for you. We all know you can sing up a storm with the right song so I really hope the viewers take that into account when they are voting this week.”

Yakov paused before he replied in an uncharacteristic reaction, seeming to mull over what to say. “Wrong song, and a performance that was best left back in the school music room. You will be in trouble this week.” Over at the chairs, JJ cringed as he saw Guang Hong's expression fall even more. Morooka walked over and did his best to comfort him before giving his voting information, then sending the show to break as Guang Hong returned to the chairs. His seat was in the lower row in front of JJ and as he sat down, burying his face in his hands, the Canadian reached forward to grip both his shoulders, leaning in to murmur something. Sara wrapped an arm around Guang Hong's shoulders as he fought back some tears.

Chris leaned forward in his seat then and tapped Phichit on the shoulder, at which the other turned around to face him. “Hey, what were you on about when Morooka was doing Guang Hong's intro?” he asked.

“Did you hear the shade he threw?” Phichit said. “Making note of the song choices he's done up till now?”

Chris paused then, remembering Morooka's words, and his face pulled into a frown of his own. “Mm. Someone's been paying attention and talking to the judges. That's just a tiny bit suspect, you're right.”

At Seung Gil's call for Yuri to come to center stage Victor and Phichit gave him a quick hug of encouragement then Victor watched him head over to the band, with Takeshi helping to hang the acoustic guitar over his shoulder. Out of the corner of his eye Victor then noticed Phichit sitting forward in his chair, also worried for his friend. Victor reached over and gave Phichit's shoulder a pat and added in a wink as the show came back from break.

“Our next contestant has had a very vocal and active fan base since his audition first aired,” Morooka began. His fans call themselves “Katsuki's Kids” and have been very supportive of their favorite Superstar, especially those from his native Japan. He hasn't let them down yet, so let's see what he has in store for us tonight. Performing “Stronger” from _Finding Neverland_ , here is Yuri Katsuki!”

Yuri walked forward as the drummer led in with an abbreviated version of the intro, with the band coming in after four bars. He began to play the acoustic guitar in his hands as he walked to the microphone, beginning to sing with a soft but determined tone that elevated the more the song went on. Victor made note of the lyrics, which Yuri sang with more and more conviction as the song progressed:

_In the darkest place_  
_There’s the faintest light_  
_Gives me hope to face the hardest fight_  
  
_Pain delivers me_  
_I don't need their sympathy_  
_‘Cause they can't take away my mind_  
_Where I go they will never find_  
  
_I've got to be stronger_  
_Reach up higher_  
_Must dig deeper_  
_Find the fire_  
_Feel enlightened_  
_Can't be frightened anymore_  
  
_I can run now so much faster_  
_Now defeat won't be my master_  
_For to conquer the demons_  
_I won't have to wait any longer_  
_I've got to be stronger_

Yuri became more and more animated as the modulation shifted the key up, canvassing the stage freely as he'd opted to keep the headset mic he'd planned to use when he'd thought he would be dancing instead. With the guitar in his hands he was much more comfortable, his playing becoming more aggressive as he kept up with the rhythm, walking near the edge of the stage and making eye contact with some of the people there. He moved back to center stage for the climax of the song, which the band hit a pause in unison for as he wailed the last line, extending the final glory note out and bringing the crowd to their feet. He hadn't felt the euphoria that had been present the last couple of times he'd performed, but as the crowd erupted in cheers and screams for his performance, he had to admit that it had felt pretty good... and he hadn't forgotten the words, or the chords to play.

“Yuri!!” Minako cried, still applauding with the audience until they settled back down on cue. “I loved this song for you! What I've always loved about this number in the musical is how understated it is. It's not this huge vocal, but it speaks of someone whose power is within themselves, someone who's being underestimated. And that is so totally you. Really great vocal and I love seeing you playing guitar up there again too.”

“You looked right at home up there with that guitar, definitely,” Celestino continued. “Like Minako said, it's not a song that has a huge vocal, until right at the end where you absolutely killed that glory note. Your theater background definitely shone through with this. Great performance.”

“I think you are still finding your way between the theatrical performer and musician,” Yakov said. “The vocal was impeccable as always, we know you can sing anything without a problem. But I still see some lack of confidence, and there is no need for it. You can hold your own against anyone here. Remember that.”

Morooka walked up to Yuri, reaching to shake his hand. “How did this feel up here tonight? You looked like you were having fun.”

“It... I was a bit nervous in the beginning because I kind of changed what I was going to do last minute,” Yuri admitted; over in the chairs Phichit bit his lip with uncertainty. “I wasn't going to use the guitar and then decided to.”

“I think it was a good decision, everyone loves a guy with a guitar!” Morooka grinned, giving Yuri a hearty clap on the shoulder as he recited Yuri's voting information. He then told Yuri to head on back to the chairs, where the guitar tech was waiting to take the acoustic from him. He then sat down hurriedly as Morooka introduced Chris.

“Our next contestant has made his mark in the competition by showing some wide versatility with his performances. His fans, Christophe's Crew, have been loving every minute of it. This week he's chosen to go in a bit of a different direction with a song he says means a lot to him. Performing “I'll Cover You (Reprise)” from _RENT_ , here is Chris Giacometti.”

As the lights went up on the stage everyone was certain the audience at home and in the studio were surprised as Chris was seated at the same baby grand piano Takeshi had been playing earlier. As directed by Seung Gil, he waited until the crowd settled down with their applause before hitting the first note, beginning the song with a soft, low tone, his voice already soaked in emotion. He continued to play, his voice slowly rising in volume and feeling, the tone rich with a smooth vibrato. Over at the chairs Victor found himself with an arm around Yuri as the song went into the change and the backing singers came in, with one big-voiced woman accompanying Chris as in the original score.

Victor got chills and felt a lump in his throat as Chris had his own a capella glory note moment that brought the crowd to its feet, the emotions pouring from him as he finished the song, appearing to discreetly wipe away a few tears as he stood up to take his mark at center stage. It took the crowd a bit longer to calm down this time and as he looked over, Yuri noticed a few of the people in the front row shedding tears of their own. Over at the judges' table Minako and Celestino were standing and applauding, with Minako also dabbing at her eyes as they sat down with the diminishing of the crowd's ovation.

“Chris... every time we think we have you figured out you throw us a curve,” Minako began. “We already knew you could do emotional ballads from the Showcase round but this? This was a whole other level. This was phenomenal, from the vocal to the piano playing which I didn't know you could do? This is a completely opposite performance than we saw last week from you and I am loving your versatility. I knew this would bring the house down when we worked on it in the studio for your iTunes recording. Amazing, loved it.”

“There are no shortage of great songs from this amazing musical,” Celestino continued. “There's actually two versions of this piece and when I saw you were doing this one I was kind of surprised, as I thought you'd do the upbeat one from the first act. Why did you pick this instead?”

“It's kind of a mashup,” Chris said. “I prefer the Reprise version but I sing it with the message that is put forth in the first act version, that whole putting your heart out there thing. I just like the emotions of this one more. My interpretation of this is more about being passionate about someone rather than sad.”

“It was a wise choice to do this version,” Yakov added. “Everyone would have expected the other version from you as Celestino said. This performance was unexpected and you have the talent to pull it off. Excellent performance and excellent song choice. This is how all of the contestants should be thinking when they are choosing songs.”

Chris thanked him with a little dip of his head as Morooka came over. “You really caught the audience with this one, I saw some hankies working overtime on the tears,” he quipped. “Excellent performance, your job is done for the night and you can head over to the chairs.” He then turned his attention to the cameras as he set the show up for break. “Up next, Yura rocks out to a relatively new Broadway smash, and Victor will give us his version of an Andrew Lloyd Webber classic. THIS... is Grand Prix Superstar!”

As the show went to one of its two slightly longer breaks and the stage shuffle began Victor gave Yuri's shoulders a squeeze.

“Your performance went really well, you sounded great. I told you you didn't have anything to worry about,” he smiled.

Yuri's response was a deep sigh and a heavy exhale. “I don't know if I'll match up to everyone else. They've definitely saved the best for last tonight,” he said, his eyes turning toward Phichit who was conversing with Sara in the row below.

“Yuuurriiii I'm wounded,” Victor grinned. “What about meeeeee?” He leaned in closer, getting in Yuri's face in a move he'd done more than once to tease a reaction out of the shy Japanese man as the arm around his shoulders drew him in closer.

“I didn't mean that!” Yuri said, his face flushing. “I... oh nevermind.” Victor grinned at the very flustered Yuri, satisfied that he'd taken his mind off worrying about his performance. He then looked over as Yuri's attention was drawn to center stage where Yura was doing a last minute sound check on an electric guitar as 30 seconds to live was called.

“This should be interesting,” Leo said from his seat next to Yuri. “It's a Broadway song, but I don't know how much of a stretch it will be.” He kept his voice low as Otabek was sitting next to him, the other engaged in conversation with Mila.

Yuri's voice dropped even lower as 10 seconds to live was called. “No... I think Otabek's is the one that has no stretch. I'm worried about his song this week. Even Yura tried to talk him out of it, but _someone_ insisted it was perfect.” That evoked a wide-eye and eyebrow-raise from Leo as the contestants drew themselves up to attention as the segueway music played the show back in as Morooka, for the first time in the seated part of the audience as he did his lead in, began his introduction.

“Our next performer is the youngest member of our Superstars. His fans have dubbed themselves Yura's Angels, and they've been quite vocal in their support for their favorite. Here now performing “You're In the Band” from _School of Rock_ , is Yuri Plisetsky!”

Yura began by quoting one of the lines of dialogue that led the song in in the musical, “You ever played an electric guitar?” as he began the riff of the song and began to sing. The song was edited to cut out the dialogue and the short musical interludes, leaving him to wail along to the melody unencumbered. He mixed in a few bits of the dialogue as the crowd got into it, some of them standing and dancing as he added them in (“who's gonna be my DRUMMMMMMERRRRRRRR???”) as he utilized the freedom of the headset mic to roam the stage, with the crowd in the pit screaming hysterically as the song came to the end with a modulation, ending pointing at the crowd with the final line, “yes you're in the band!!!” He stood there for a few moments soaking in the screaming, the roar so deafening even Celestino turned in his chair to look at the reaction, shaking his head with a smile before turning back to the stage. Yura noticed one particularly zealous female fan and as he stepped up to his mark, he flipped his guitar pick to her; she caught it and screamed while the four girls surrounding her gave her angry glares.

“Yura! I gotta admit I was skeptical of this only because it's not really Broadway in the classic sense,” Celestino said. “I think what we kind of go for with these themes is to get people to stretch themselves and try new things. But to be honest this was a perfect song choice for you and this is probably the most animated I've seen you so far. I love the electric guitar too, it was a really nice touch. Great job, really fun performance.”

“I have to disagree a little bit. We already had Mila doing “Out Tonight” which is another rock song that isn't really “Broadway” in the stereotypical sense,” Minako noted. “But if I'm being honest I think Jonathan Larson broke a lot of ground with his work and paved the way for rock musicals to come to Broadway and find their own place. This was a perfect song choice for you. If you're not really familiar with Broadway you're going to find something that works for you, or you should anyway. You did that and you did it very well and I think the crowd loved it and the viewers will too. Great job.”

“The confidence you have in yourself as a performer at such a young age is very commendable, and we have already seen a lot of growth since Hollywood Week,” Yakov said. “I think this song suited you even if it's not what people were hoping to see. Your vocal was very good and you worked the stage like someone with far more experience. You have a great presence and this performance should put you through to next week without a problem.”

Morooka came over and also commended Yura on his performance, giving his voting information and directing him to head back to the chairs, the same guitar tech taking the electric from Yura as Morooka began the next introduction.

“Our next performer showed great versatility out of the gate with a Josh Groban song during Hollywood Week. This week's performance should be equally as surprising after his last two rock-oriented song choices. Performing “Close Every Door” from _Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat_ , here is Victor Nikiforov!”

The stage was mostly dark, the lights a deep blue as Victor sang the first two lines of the song a capella, then continued with just Takeshi's acoustic guitar for the first verse, his voice projecting out over the silent studio. The whole first part of the song was carried by Victor's voice and the sparse instrumentation, then broken up with a very abbreviated version of the musical interlude followed by an edited-down rendition of the next verse and change, during which the emotions in Victor's voice grew more pronounced, his body language and facial expressions giving more weight to the story the song told. The band and string section came in as Victor's voice swelled in volume to sail into the dramatic ending as he let his voice open up, his range being pushed to its limits as he hit some of his highest notes so far. The penultimate a capella glory notes brought the crowd to its feet, already screaming and applauding as he held the final note; over in the chairs Phichit, Yuri, Mila, Leo and Sara were on their feet, screaming and applauding as well. It took a few moments for the bedlam in the audience to calm down, finally necessitating the use of the “Quiet Please” screens.

Minako and Celestino sat down as the rest of the audience did, with Minako once again dabbing at her eyes as she gathered herself to speak.

“Victor. I swear there is absolutely nothing you can't sing,” she began. “The sensitivity in the beginning gave me chills, the power at the end brought me to tears. That was absolutely phenomenal. I think it's your best performance so far because it showcased your entire range.”

“This was a _moment_ ,” Celestino said. “You could hear a pin drop in this place, the energy around this performance was insane. I don't think your voice has any limits to be honest. Fantastic song choice, fantastic delivery of it.”

“I have nothing to add,” Yakov said, “except perhaps to advise you to not peak too early. As Celestino said, this was already what I think will be a signature performance for you. It will be difficult to top it, I think. But I believe you are up for the challenge.”

Morooka then walked over to Victor, giving his hand a congratulatory shake. “Excellent performance my friend. Remember you can vote for Victor online at www.grandprixsuperstar.com/vote, on the mobile app for iPhone and Android; you can also text or SMS your vote to Victor's number, GPSTAR12, and there is a limit of ten votes maximum per method. Also a reminder that sales of all the Superstars' iTunes tracks also count as one vote each, and all methods of voting including the iTunes purchases will go live at the end of the show.”

As Morooka rattled off the information, which was more or less the same for every contestant, Victor did what his fellow contestants had taken to jokingly calling “eye-fucking” the camera by staring directly into it, flashing a smile and a wink, and playfully mouthing the number “twelve” while pointing at the camera to remind the world how to vote for him. Morooka sent him back to the chairs and the show went into break. Victor sat down in his chair with a huff, and in his usual self-deprecating tone and smirk, said “not bad.”

Phichit snorted at that. “Oh _please_ , performance of the night easy. No one is going to top it.”

“Speak for yourself,” JJ snapped from his seat; two seats down from him Yura rolled his eyes. Yuri tried not to look over at JJ directly, but he could see by how he was reacting that the nerves had set in, possibly even more so than they had for Yuri himself. JJ had chosen a pretty iconic song, and after Victor's performance, the pressure was most certainly on.

The contestants settled in as Morooka, now standing on the platform where the judges' table was situated and leaning on the end next to Celestino, introduced the next contestant up.

“Our next performer has had some pretty impressive moments leading up to this performance tonight. Let's see if he can continue his streak. Performing “Wake Me Up When September Ends” from _American Idiot_ , here is Otabek Altin!

As Takeshi's acoustic guitar began the song Leo looked over at the judges and definitely saw Yakov's and Celestino's stone faces, Yakov's more set than usual. Minako seemed more curious, but Leo was pretty sure all of Otabek's fellow contestants shared their apprehension.

Otabek continued the vocal with the sparse instrumentation, the song not really that much different than the original recording done by Green Day on the album that had inspired the musical. As the electric guitars came in Otabek gave the performance his all, singing the lyrics with conviction and canvassing the stage on the advice of Emil, connecting with a few members of the audience in the pit area. An edited version of the guitar solo led into the final verse, with a pair of reprises of the main hook of the song to end it. The crowd applauded modestly; over in the chairs Yura drew in a breath, already worried for his friend while JJ covered his mouth with a hand, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

“Otabek... if I didn't know that this song had been used in a musical, I'd have thought you went off-theme,” Minako said, obviously making an attempt to keep her critique gentle. “This song was far too iconic as a regular chart hit for Green Day to pull it out for something like this, where we're hoping to see you all stretch your capabilities. There was nothing vocally challenging about this either, and I really question why it was even an option.” She shot an angry glare over at one of Morooka's assistant producers, who she knew was in charge of the music clearance.

“Yeah buddy, I don't really think this was a good song. I could have seen you doing something more from maybe Les Miserables, something with a strong male vocal that would have fit your style and range. This wasn't just safe, I feel like it was a cop-out personally.”

“I agree that this song should not have been an option. It is a very loose definition of “Broadway”. I feel you are much smarter than to choose this, but I suspect you are not very familiar with musicals so you gravitate toward what you know. I cannot find fault with that, but the viewers may do so,” Yakov concluded.

Otabek's expression had become more stoic than it normally was as Morooka offered a few words of encouragement before reading off his voting information and sending Otabek back to the chairs. His fellow contestants did their best to console him as he expressed anger with himself for not doing more research as the show went into a break.

“I only picked that because I didn't know much about any Broadway stuff,” Otabek said. “But we got the lists back in December. I could have done more,” he said.

“We were busy the whole month,” Sara reminded him. “We didn't have a whole lot of time. In any event there's nothing more you can do about it now. You've had good performances before this one, so hopefully people will remember that.”

“Sara's right. And it's not like you didn't sing well. It's just a matter if this song was “Broadway enough” to be legit,” Leo said. “If the voters take your performance into account first, you'll be fine.”

“You should probably get advice from people who know what they're talking about. Leo helped me find my song and it worked out good for me,” Yura growled, speaking freely as JJ had already gone to center stage to prep for his performance.

The ten-second to air was called then and the contestants settled down as the cameras rolled once more. Morooka was back on stage this time to recite the introduction.

“Our next performer has a rather extensive background in the theater, with one of his two audition songs being from the musical _Jekyll & Hyde_. His fans, the Leroy Lovers, have been blowing up social media trying to figure out what he'll perform tonight, and they don't have to wait any longer. Singing “Music of the Night” from _The Phantom of the Opera_ , here is Jean-Jacques Leroy!”

The string section on stage began on cue and JJ began to sing, his voice soft at first, then slowly building through the subsequent verses. His interpretation was very faithful to the original, with many of the same inflections and pauses. As the music swelled his voice began to open up, exploring the higher end of his range before dropping back down to the softer tones. He traversed the stage, singing to many of those in the front row before returning to center stage to work up to the ending, which trailed off with a soft note that he sustained for several bars. Over in the chairs, a few of the contestants noted that the applause for JJ was about mid-level, with his scattering of obvious fans standing out in their extra enthusiasm.

Minako was first, and she began her critique with a heavy sigh. “JJ. You sang this well, but I actually think it got away from you a little bit. I'm not sure your tenor is of the type that can carry this off convincingly. You have the personality and the stage presence for it, but there were moments in this that were just okay for me. This was far less impressive than what you did in the studio when we worked on it together. I was hoping you'd do something a bit more creative, maybe something a bit less known. You have a great voice but I feel like you under-utilize it sometimes.”

“Dude. Of all the songs on the list...” Celestino said, appearing to hold back on something he really wanted to say. “It's been done by some of the best singers in the world, and it's kind of one you don't really touch. You sounded good, but I'm with Minako in that I wish you'd chosen something a bit more off the beaten path.”

JJ raised his microphone to speak then. “My first choice was taken, so I went with this when the... other person said they weren't using it.” Over in the chairs it was Yuri's turn to prepare to fight if JJ had possessed the balls to throw Victor under the bus, his mind going back to the rather heated argument the two had gotten into over “Close Every Door”, more than likely the reason why JJ had been on the defensive after Victor's performance.

“Regardless of why you chose it, this was a very safe choice,” Yakov said. “Just because a song is universally known doesn't mean it's a good choice for your voice. From a technical view your vocal was quite good, but from a creative level, I would agree with my fellow judges in that this was not the right song for you.” Yakov received the third smattering of boos, with one for each judge's opinion.

Morooka came up to JJ, giving him a pat on the shoulder as he read off his voting information, then sent him back over to the chairs. Sara was making her way to center stage as he sat down with a heavy sigh. Yura barely concealed his satisfied smirk and murmured to Otabek that JJ had jinxed himself.

“Our next performer has been impressing us since her audition in Rome, and tonight she's doing a song that she's loved since she was a little girl,” Morooka continued. “Singing “On My Own” from _Les Miserables_ , here is Sara Crispino!”

The song began with the stage dimly-lit and Sara standing next to Takeshi's baby grand piano as he played the introduction. The key of the song, recommended by Lilia during her mentoring session with Sara, brought out a rich vibrato in her voice that had only been present in small doses previously. Sara settled into the emotions of the song quite well; Victor noticed Minako leaning forward in her seat, her face betraying that she was being pulled in by Sara's emotional performance. As the song built up further she began to push the higher end of her range, the highest note being held out with a dramatic pause in the music before dropping back down to sing the soft, sad “I love him” refrain and ending with the gentle final line, Takeshi's delicate piano weaving around her tones. There was a pause of a few long moments before the entranced audience reacted, erupting into applause and cheers. As she took her mark at center stage she was unable to hide the smile, quite happy with her performance.

“Sara! This was a perfect song choice for you,” Celestino began. “With every performance whether it's on point or not, you always pick up something valuable and apply to what you've learned, and I like that. There's so much more nuance in your voice since we first saw you and you keep getting better. I really loved this, it was done very well with the emphasis in all the right places. Really nice job.”

“This was gorgeous, truly,” Minako said. “This song has been done by a fair amount of people over the years, most notably the legendary Lea Salonga for whom it's a signature. I feel like the more you grow into your voice you will be in a similar vein to her vocally. Like Celestino said, you've grown so much and I just see you getting better and better, and this is definitely an indication of that.”

“You have a sensitivity to music that we have seen since your first audition,” Yakov said. “You are taking all criticism, both constructive and otherwise, and using it to help yourself grow and that is commendable. This was a great performance, full of emotion and a knowledge of how to portray the character and the story you are telling. Excellent work.”

Sara couldn't help but grin again as Morooka came over to congratulate her and read off her voting information. He sent her back to the chairs as the show went to break where she was tacklehugged by Phichit, then also shared hugs with Yuri, Victor and Leo.

“I thought I was going to be screwed,” she confessed.

“What? Why?” Phichit asked.

“After what they said about JJ's song I was worried that this one was the same way, too recognizable, too overdone. So I'm surprised. But it felt good to do and I was really happy with how it turned out.”

“Some people just have better luck, I guess,” JJ murmured but within earshot of Yura, who stared him down with an angry glare.

“Some people don't pick songs that are too big for them, except maybe for their ego,” Yura growled; JJ turned away as Otabek laid a hand on Yura's shoulder to dial him back.

Victor leaned in to Yuri then to murmur into his ear. “Man, Yura reaaaaallly can't stand JJ,” he said. “I'm waiting for the knock down dragout fight one night at the house.”

“I don't think it will get that far,” Yuri said. “They stay out of each other's way except when it's obligatory to be near each other.”

The show came back from the break for the final segment of the night then, with Morooka back on the judges' platform, this time on the side next to Yakov.

“Our next performer grew up watching the movie this musical was based on, and this has been his favorite song ever since. And considering his name, it's rather appropriate. Performing “I Just Can't Wait To Be King” from _The Lion King_ , here is Leo de la Iglesia!”

As the song began with the catchy drum part Leo began to dance around a bit, his ever-present grin on his face as he started to sing, getting excited as many in the audience were singing along. He bounced around the stage as the song continued with a brief, edited version of the middle instrumental that jumped into the modulation, the key jumping up a bit and Leo's enthusiasm picking up in kind. As he noticed some in the pit singing along he reached out and grabbed a few hands, “dancing” with them from the stage as he sang, then making his way to center stage for the end of the song. The audience erupted into cheers and applause, with Leo's performance easily the most entertaining and fun of the night so far.

Celestino was grinning as the audience settled down. “Leo! This was a fun song choice for you and something a little offbeat. You could have easily done “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” but you took on a bit of a challenge. I loved the dancing and you engaged the audience very well too. Really fun performance.”

“It definitely was entertaining, but vocally I don't think it was very challenging for you,” Minako continued. “I would have liked to see you do “Can You Feel The Love Tonight” because it would have involved your voice more and shown off your skills. But at the end of the day you sang this well and it was a lot of fun and the audience obviously loved it, which is important too. So good job overall.”

“I think it was an interesting choice of song,” Yakov said. “It may not have been the most difficult to sing but it was very entertaining, and engaging the audience is just as important as talent. You respond well to audience interaction and gave us something to enjoy. We know what you are capable of vocally and this shows us you are on your way to being a well-rounded performer.”

Morooka came over and gave Leo a pat on the shoulder and a “nice job” before reading off his voting information. Over at the chairs, Phichit had received hugs for good luck and was making ready to take the stage for the final performance of the night.

“Our final performer this evening is someone we already know has a big voice and is a very versatile artist. His first love is theater and he's about to perform one of his favorite Broadway songs. Singing “Defying Gravity” from _Wicked_ , here is Phichit Chulanont!”

Takeshi began the song on the baby grand, drawing out the intro a bit as Phichit settled into the song, singing in a near falsetto before going into the first chorus, his voice moving into his belting range in the second verse. His enthusiasm and vocals escalated while still only at half-power, still using falsetto for some of the higher notes in the change, then full-on belting out the glory notes as the song moved into the modulation, pushing on the top notes of his range and covering the stage like a seasoned professional. Minako was already on her feet as he built up to the huge ending that included a dramatic, three-high-note a capella vocalization at the ending that had the audience on its feet and screaming before he was even done. Over in the chairs Yuri, Victor, Leo, Chris and Sara were also standing, with Yuri jumping up and down and screaming himself; Phichit had always wanted to perform this song and seeing his friend get one of his dreams had him on a high he hadn't been able to reach with his own performance that night. He was so excited he stumbled sideways into Victor, who wrapped his arms around him and hugged him, ecstatic for Phichit as well; the both of them were laughing as they finally sat back down.

Minako and Celestino waited for the audience to calm down before they themselves sat back down in their own chairs; even Yakov had broken his stoic, unreadable facade to clap for Phichit's performance.

“Holy. SHIT. Buddy!!” Celestino said. “Where does a little guy like you put a voice like that? Are you _kidding_ me right now?? That was scary ridiculously amazing!! I don't even know if I'm making sense right now but it was that good that I can't even think straight! Best performance of the night hands down!”

“Phichit I don't even know if you're human,” Minako said, shaking her head. “I knew this was going to be a show stopper from your performance in the studio, but you live and in person is another level all together. You were born to be on a stage. You fill up a room with the skill of a performer with twice your experience. That was _phenomenal._ Seriously. You keep going like that and you have a legitimate chance to win this thing.”

“I have always considered you a front runner and one of those who could definitely win,” Yakov said. “This performance tonight proves it. No matter how far you go on this show you will have a future in the music industry, because you are an immense talent.”

Morooka headed back to center stage, shaking his head with a smile as well. “Well that was certainly a fantastic way to end this night! Congratulations my friend,” he said, shaking Phichit's hand and giving out his voting information. As the contestants all joined them at center stage, with just about everyone hugging Phichit, the screens began to play clips of all the performances from the night with the voting information for each contestant listed on the screen.

“And that's our show for tonight! Tune in tomorrow night for the results show, where we'll find out which of the contestants will make it to the top 10 and onto the Superstar Grand Prix World Tour. Our musical guest will be Kesha. Until then, Morooka – out!”

 

**Producer's Notes - Twitter Chatter for Broadway Week _(camera/video montage/Morooka sound bites – focus points)_**

 

**Victuri is REAL people! (@supervicturi)**

So I was in the audience for the live show tonight and I am going to gloat because I CALLED IT. I'm telling you Victor and Yuri are a Thing. Victor kept cuddling Yuri before he performed and then after they kept getting real close to talk to each other and when Phichit performed>

_2 hours ago • 14.3k retweets • 9.4k likes_

 

**Victuri is REAL people! (@supervicturi)**

they were screaming and hugging each other and Yuri almost fell right on top of Victor and they were being SO FUCKING CUTE OMG and if they aren't dating yet they are going to be because Victor is alllllllll over that. MARK MY WORDS THIS IS HAPPENING.

_25 minutes ago • 10.2k retweets • 6.1k likes_

 

**I SHIP #PHICHYU (@PhichitFacts4u)**

@supervicturi NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Yuri and Phichit HAVE to make it official THEY ARE BFFS THEY HAVE TO BE TOGETHER

_20 minutes ago • 3.4k retweets • 1.2k likes_

 

**Christophe's Sex Slave (@FabulousChris)**

@supervicturi FUCK OFF GO #VICTOPHE OR GO HOME BITCH

_20 minutes ago • 1.6k retweets • 852 likes_

 

**Nutting Nikiforov (@MrsNikiforov)**

@FabulousChris you are so gross Chris has done two songs for his boyfriend already he obviously is not going to cheat on him with Victor. #victuri

_30 minutes ago • 2.5k retweets • 1.5k likes_

 

Seung Gil was scrolling through Twitter, at turns cringing and laughing as he clicked through the many searches he had saved. At Morooka's request he was keeping track of social media to see where the fans' heads were about the contestants, and what both he and Morooka had come to suspect seemed to be fairly obvious to the fans as well.

“How is it looking this week?” Morooka said as he peered over Seung Gil's shoulder in the backstage office area. The audience and the contestants had all left for the night, but there was still plenty of activity in the studio as the crew gave the stage a once-over, checking for issues and prepping before the results show the following night.

“Everyone is still suspecting that there's something going on with Yuri and Victor. I have to say I agree. They seem pretty close, though Yuri is really shy. Victor and Christophe are tight as friends but Chris is very committed to his boyfriend, and of course Phichit and Yuri are basically like brothers. The bromance angle is never a bad thing to focus on either but this potential power couple is quite interesting,” Seung Gil replied.

“I knew when we put this show together that the stories would write themselves,” Morooka said. “Once we get into the Top 10 we will start using the biographical video bites. We want everyone to feel like they know the Top 10, especially if we want the tour to sell.”

“I have no doubt the tour will sell just fine,” Seung Gil said. “We've had inquiries from promoters in all the contestants' home countries. Hasetsu wants Minami to do a special appearance, sort of like an opening act thing for one or two songs.”

“Hasetsu will get whatever it asks for, of course,” Morooka grinned. “I think it's already pretty apparent who the Top 10 will be. We'll release the dates and ticket information with the Top 10 results show. How's the buzz on that though?”

“People are talking about traveling, as in going so far as flying from the US to Moscow, St. Petersburg, Tokyo to see their favorite contestants in their hometowns. The following is massive. Victor's hashtag always has the most hits, and Yuri's is less than a thousand behind at any given time.”

“Everything's working out just like we hoped, then,” Morooka said. “We've got a long way to go, and it just gets bigger from here on out. By the time we get to the finale, the entire world is going to know all of these kids' names.”

“Yakov's gotta be over the moon,” Seung Gil noted. “Especially with a Russian as the front runner.”

“Oh he'd sign Victor if he got the boot tomorrow night,” Morooka said. “Victor has absolutely nothing to worry about. He doesn't even have a manager yet and we've gotten inquiries from every major label about him. Rolling Stone and Entertainment Weekly want to give him the cover when, not if, he wins, their words not mine.”

“That's the other thing I'm seeing, that Victor pretty much has this in the bag. And yet he jokes every week about that he should have packed before we got to the lot for the day in case he goes home,” Seung Gil said with a laugh.

“That's why everyone loves him. He's a monster talent and the most humble guy you could meet. But all we know about all the contestants right now is what they're about musically and a bit of personality from Hollywood Week. That's why we need to start with the bio clips next week. That's when they'll really fall for them. And it might help some of the less personable members of the bunch,” Morooka said.

“Yura especially,” Seung Gil said. “From what I've seen everyone thinks he's mean or a spoiled brat. He's got his fan base but I think he'd have a lot more if we knew more about his backstory. We saw some of it in his audition but the footage we got from Moscow and the interview with Nikolai helped a lot.”

“Who else do we have on the low end of the approval meter?” Morooka asked.

“JJ is the other one. Apparently a few audience members saw him be rather short with the other contestants during a break tonight. His ego precedes him. He's fine, just so keyed up most of the time that he comes across as unlikable.”

“We'll play up his personal side in the edits to the bio clips then. Otabek? What about him?”

“Surprisingly he's got a pretty good female following. They like the strong, brooding, silent type it seems. The whole Man of Mystery thing is pulling them in and they're rooting for him because he's the underdog most weeks.”

“We can work with that angle for him then... provided he doesn't go home this week. We had a couple of iffy performances tonight and I can pretty much predict the bottom two,” Morooka said.

“Yeah, I had a feeling the weakest of the bunch would fall early once we got to the live rounds. As we get closer to the end it will be harder to tell because the cream of the crop will be left,” Seung Gil said.

There was a pause then, and Morooka cracked a knowing smile. “And how about Phichit tonight? He just might end up being the surprise in this whole thing.”

Seung Gil tried to hide the smile that curled the corners of his mouth behind his usual all-business facade, and failed in the presence of his mentor and friend. “I knew he was going to kill it as soon as I saw the dress rehearsal. He didn't even go full power with his voice for that, but he was amazing. His actual live show performance was next level.”

“Is he still showing signs of interest?” Morooka asked.

“When there's time, which isn't often. We chat here and there but we're having to keep it professional, obviously. It's not like I can do anything about it right now,” Seung Gil sighed. “I don't want him getting disqualified. So I'll hold my tongue until whenever, or if, he is eliminated.”

“You might be waiting a while then,” Morooka noted. “He's going to probably make it to the final. I'm thinking him and Yuri to be honest.”

Seung Gil frowned then. “I don't know about Yuri. He's phenomenal but he needs to come out of his shell more. However, that seems to be working in his favor because everyone's rooting for him. I don't know how you could forget Victor in this equation.”

Morooka laughed then. “Seriously, what am I saying? But I can see Phichit going Top 4 or 3 easily. A final with him and Victor would be pretty evenly matched, especially if they both keep upping their game.”

Seung Gil closed his laptop then, his head spinning from skimming Twitter as he and Morooka talked. “The Top 5 onward is going to be hell because people will go home because someone has to, not because they aren't talented. But the controversy will drive the ratings, of that I'm sure.”

“If they go any higher they're going to have to create a new tier over at Nielsen,” Morooka laughed. “In the US alone it's dominating both nights the show's on, and it's at the top of every ratings list worldwide. This all couldn't be going better if we tried.”

Seung Gil packed up his laptop then, checking the time on his phone. “Seriously, I don't know how Eros Entertainment is going to top this.”

Morooka laughed as he and Seung Gil headed out for their weekly recap meeting with the judges before they called it a night. “My work will be cut out for me if Eros wants a Season 2,” he said. “But let's crown our first winner before we start worrying about that, shall we?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Kieran - this is a homage to the light tech from American Idol. Each week as the results began, Ryan Seacrest would faithfully recite: "Kieran -- dim the lights, and here we go." No one ever saw Kieran until the final show of the original run, when he was finally given a few seconds of camera time.
> 
> Aaaaaand once again I apologize profusely for this update being so late. The next one will more than likely be sometime next week, at the very latest by next weekend, unless by some miracle I can sit down to write. The live shows are much more time consuming than I expected them to be to write because trying to describe singing is harder than anticipated, and then adding in offstage and backstage interaction on top of that and boom 18-20k chapter lol. I hate making you guys wait extra though, so I'll do my best to not go too long between.
> 
> Other notes: The [playlist](https://open.spotify.com/user/fallbackintome/playlist/0jJjh4a3fv5oXd7iSJMhSH) has been updated with this week's songs. And I'll just throw it out there that I am on Twitter @BurnMyHeartOut and Tumblr @HuntressFirefall. (But tbh I am on Twitter way more than Tumblr these days.)


	9. Results - Week Two and Live Shows - Week Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “We saw some risk taking tonight and I loved it,” Minako said. “Difficult vocals and difficult presentations. We need to kick it up a notch, keep it up!” she grinned.

**Live Shows, Week Two – Night Before Results Show**

“Woman, you are going to wreck me. I'm glad we're not doing solo performances tomorrow because I'm not sure I'd be able to walk.”

Sara and Mila were very happy they had a room with quite a bit of privacy, one that was a bit more out of the way than the others. Though it was on the way to the two empty bedrooms being used as rehearsal studios, for the most part they weren't bothered much once their door was closed for the night. Right now, Mila was far more exhausted than their usual day of work for the show had ever left her – but in the best of ways. She leaned in to kiss Sara deeply, wrapping her arms around the other woman and tangling one hand into her hair.

“Then my mission is accomplished,” Sara replied with a grin once Mila broke the kiss, reaching up to loop a lock of Mila's red hair around her finger. She grew concerned when the Russian woman's expression softened into a slightly worried one in the dim light of the leftover Christmas lights they'd strung over the headboards of their beds during the holidays, and had opted to leave there.

“What is it?” Sara asked, smoothing Mila's hair back to reveal the darker brown undercut – her natural color – beneath the fire engine red.

“I just... I can't help thinking about what will happen if one of us gets eliminated. I mean... we'll be apart until at least the end of the show, when we'll go on the tour. But after that... what will happen to us?” Mila said.

Sara brushed the pad of her index finger over Mila's lips. “We'll find a way. If we both get some kind of opportunities from music, we might end up being here in Los Angeles together.”

“That's just it though... still... we might not be together like we are right now. I don't want to stop what we have but it's just...” Mila sighed then, laying her head on Sara's shoulder.

“We could always be a duo,” Sara said, her tone playful. “Start a band together. Problem solved.”

Mila lifted her head then, grinning. “Perfect! I'm in,” she replied.

“Okay then, now that that's out of the way,” Sara grinned, “You were complaining about me wearing you out.”

“I was, wasn't I?” Mila said. “I think you deserve to be punished for that.”

Sara's eyes narrowed with the sexy smirk that curled the corners of her mouth. “Oh dear, that sounds... wonderful.”

Mila grinned again, reaching to pull the blankets up over her, nearly covering her head. “Then don't move,” she said with a purr, disappearing beneath the fabric. A moment later Sara felt Mila's lips beginning to work their magic, trailing over her skin. It was already late and she'd be tired in the morning... but it was more than worth it.

 

 

 

“I probably should have tried to find something better, but I honestly didn't know any of the songs on the list other than that one, and only because I had seen the DVD,” Guang Hong said.

“You could have asked me, you know. I would have helped you. I told you I was a theater major,” JJ said.

Guang Hong had wandered over to JJ's room as Leo was with Yuri and Phichit in one of the practice rooms, already starting to work on their songs for the coming week (“It's better to be optimistic and look ahead,” Leo had told him). He'd hoped to find some comfort as he was pretty sure he was going home tomorrow, but it turned out JJ wasn't exactly in a comforting mood.

“I know... I thought of it later on but... I wanted to try to do this myself. My family has always kind of hovered over me and always thought I was a little... weird? I don't know... but they don't totally agree with me wanting to pursue music. So I guess I wanted to show them I could do this on my own,” Guang Hong said.

“No one would have had to know. You wouldn't have had to say anything,” JJ said. “Now both you and Minami will be gone and I'll be stuck with everyone else, and I'm pretty sure no one here really likes me.” JJ sighed hard, his nervousness already present even though the eliminations were nearly 24 hours away yet.

“I could be honest but you'll just get defensive,” Guang Hong said.

“What do you mean?” JJ asked.

“You gotta stop acting like you know it all. Everything I see about you online from people who aren't your fans is that people think you have a big ego and that you think you know better than the judges. You have to tone it down. Start doing what they say more. Like what they said about this week's song, they were kinda right.”

“I wanted “Close Every Door”, but fucking Victor took it. And of course he smashed it out of the park. He wouldn't let me have it even though I told him I wanted it because I had played Joseph in my university's production of it. I had been eyeing it since I saw it on the list and when we submitted our songs it was too late.”

“See? This is what I mean. I heard what Victor said when you were fighting with him about it. It's not that he “wouldn't” let you have it, it's that he had already worked on it since back in December and was pretty certain about it. Regardless, you can't blame Victor, or anyone else. There were a hundred songs on that list, and eleven of us. Yuri picked a lesser-known song, so did Yura, his was newer and not real popular. Just admit that you wanted to do a song that everyone would know. If you're that big into theater you shouldn't have had a problem finding a song. And yet you're telling me I should have come to you?” Guang Hong said.

JJ sighed hard then. “Yeah... I guess... sometimes I just really want something to go a certain way and it fucks with me when it doesn't. It makes me want to give up. And let's be real here... Victor's going to win. We're all just hanging out till that happens. So yeah, it pissed me off when he wouldn't let me use the song...”

“And that's where everyone gets annoyed with you. You can't throw a fit when something doesn't go your way. It just makes you look like a spoiled brat.”

“It's not about going my way! It's... I just want everything to be perfect. And doing something I'm already good at is the best way to make that happen.”

“It's also safe, and that's what the judges don't want,” Guang Hong said. “I mean... hello? We're back to the beginning of this conversation now.” He got up from the empty bed that had formerly been Minami's as JJ buried his face in his hands. “You have to take chances. I did that to get this far and then when I didn't, look what happened. Everything can't be perfect. They _want_ you to stretch yourself, try new things. And you can't get standoffish about it. Be proud of yourself when you pull it off, but just know everyone else is doing the same thing, or most of us are anyway.” He made his way toward the door then.

“I thought I was pretty good at what I do,” JJ said, causing Guang Hong to pause at the door, hand on the knob. “And then I got here and I had to fight for every win.”

“So did the rest of us. The whole world isn't your school, where you're the top of your class. There's always going to be someone better, JJ. You just have to work hard till you match them. I'm not there yet... but now that I know what I need to do, even if I go home tomorrow... I'll fight to get there eventually. If you give up just because you think you can't be better, then why bother trying at all?”

JJ turned to Guang Hong then, his mouth open as if he were trying to come up with something to say, and fell short.

“I'm going to bed,” Guang Hong said finally. “I'll see you in the morning.”

As the door closed behind the other man, JJ picked up the song list for the coming week's theme. They had to submit their songs before they left the studio after the results show tomorrow night. He'd had a definite idea, but it was a song that had been done many times on other shows. Now, as he dug deeper through the list, he found something else that he hadn't heard anyone discussing doing. He picked up his acoustic guitar and headed to the rehearsal rooms, hoping at least one of them was open.

 

 

 

Yura and Otabek had just gotten into their room for the night after spending some time with Nikolai, who had been present when the show needed him to be legally but for the most part had been enjoying living in luxury in what amounted to a small apartment in the lower floor of the mansion. Yura had come across with a tough exterior, but his one soft spot was for his grandfather, and Otabek had immediately shown the man his respect even before he'd come to realize how much he meant to Yura. The pair had helped Nikolai prepare a Russian dinner for the contestants, which was becoming a bit of a tradition the night following a performance show, and after making sure he was comfortable they'd adjourned to their room to look ahead to next week's theme.

“I think this song is really good one for you. The vocal is in your range and I bet you'll sound good on it,” Yura said as Otabek mulled over his first song choice.

“I like it too. I'll keep the others on the side just in case but I hope no one takes this one. I can kind of see maybe Chris going for it.”

“Nah, I know what Chris is doing already. He'll probably be safe with it, by that I mean he'll stay in,” Yura said. “He's had his idea since we got the song lists.”

“What about you?” Otabek asked. “You still thinking of doing that one?”

“Yeah. I got praised for messing with arrangements once so I'm going to try it one more time. I think it's the only way I'll make it through this week because it's definitely not in my wheelhouse at all,” Yura said. “I'm worried they might bitch at me for doing it again but I'm gonna do what I have to. At least I'm being creative instead of bombing trying to do it the original way.”

“That's the thing with the judges. One week they tell you something, but then when you utilize it another time, they say you already did that and don't do it again. Or they tell you not to do something, but it works for someone else because they do it better than you. It's so confusing sometimes. Be yourself, but not that way. Get out of the box, but not too much.”

“Seriously!” Yura said. “It's so fucking frustrating. You never know what to really do, so you know what? I'm gonna do this, and if I go home, at least I went home on something I liked and believed in. Go down in flames on your own terms is how I look at it.”

“You're gonna stay in this longer than me,” Otabek said. “You can adapt better. I guess I didn't realize how hard it would be and what they'd want you to do. I don't understand why when someone has a style, they want you to change it.”

“I get that they want to see what you are capable of and that's fine, but yeah... this week's theme might fuck over a few of us. But that's where the drama is I guess.” He grew quiet then, and Otabek recognized Yura mulling over something. When Yura was lost in thought, one didn't disturb him lest they get their head bitten off. At the same time, Otabek had come to find he seemed to be an exception to the teen's angst. He'd grown a bit protective of Yura, after many late night talks both with him, and with Nikolai when Otabek found he couldn't sleep and wandered down to the older man's rooms and found him awake.

“You okay?” Otabek finally asked.

“When this is all over... what are you going to do?” Yura asked.

“I don't know yet. Depends on when I get booted,” Otabek answered.

“Shut up,” Yura snapped. “You're not getting booted.”

“Everyone is going to at some point, except the winner,” Otabek said. “And to be honest, I know I can't win. You? Yuri? Victor? Phichit? You all are so amazing. I'll just be happy to get my name out there. Maybe I can finally get to be the next Avicii or something,” he said with a smirk.

“Moscow has a lot of clubs,” Yura said. “You think you'd be interested in moving there?”

“Maybe. Home right now isn't the greatest place if you want to get more well known. But there aren't a lot of pop stars or DJs based in Russia that are real big either. We both might have to find somewhere else to go.”

Yura's head shot up then, and Otabek saw a bit of... fear? in Yura's eyes. “I... I have to take care of Grandpa. I don't want to leave him alone in Moscow. I... will have to stay there till...” He sighed hard then, shaking his head as he pushed away the obvious thought.

Otabek reached over from where he was sitting on his bed and gave Yura's shoulder a pat. “Everything will work out. I've been kind of on my own for a while myself. Maybe I'll check out the Moscow scene when all this is over. It might be time to get out of Kazakhstan and see the world a bit,” he smiled.

Yura returned Otabek's smile with a soft one of his own. “Yeah. Grandpa talked with Victor too. I guess there's a big arts and music scene in St. Petersburg also. But for now, I need to stay near home. I'm glad he's enjoying himself here though. I worried coming all the way here would be too much for him, but he's pretty damn tough. I hope I'm half as tough some day.”

Otabek laughed at that, causing Yura to look at him with a puzzled expression. “Trust me,” he said. “You already are.”

 

 

 

“Are you sure Yuri? I mean, I can go without playing the piano. I just did so far because it was one of the first songs I learned all the way though.”

Phichit, Yuri and Leo were in the rehearsal room across the mezzanine from the one JJ had occupied, already beginning work on their songs for the coming week. Phichit and Yuri had found that they were both doing songs where they'd chosen to play the piano that were in a similar vein, and now both were wondering if it would seem redundant to the viewers.

“No, it's fine. You've always sounded amazing on this song and it would lose so much if you didn't play the piano,” Yuri said.

“My thought is that the judges and the viewers will love it,” Leo said.

“How's that?” Phichit asked.

“They've been playing up the friendship with you two from the beginning. If you both do songs where you're playing the piano, it will be a “battle of the BFFs”. Your fanbases will vote like crazy to keep you both from beating each other, boom, you both stay in. But there will be the drama of you more or less going head to head.”

“You have been thinking wayyyyyyyy too much about this!” Yuri laughed.

“To be honest, he didn't lie though,” Phichit said. “It would be interesting to sort of square off against each other. We could totally play it up, trash talk for the cameras if they let us... it could be fun. Maybe we could stop this week from being so stressful if we have fun with it on our own.”

“Seriously. We have to start making the best of this and performing for ourselves. What Yura was saying on the way back on the bus was totally true. One week the judges want one thing, the next another and they tell you not to do what you did before even though the week before _that_ they told you you should do more of it. I'm just gonna start doing stuff for me, to have fun and what I know has gotten me votes before. I'm still going to take advice of course but at some point you have to start keeping yourself happy or you'll go nuts,” Yuri said.

“Speaking of, you still doing the song you were talking about?” Phichit asked Leo.

“Yup! I think it will be fine because it's been a couple weeks since I did anything in this vein. And even Chris is going back to his trademark style for this round. It's okay to try different things but I think you always need to remind the people voting for you what they liked about you best. Besides, I haven't done this kind of song in the actual competition yet so we'll see how it goes.”

“I liked Yura's take on it, to be honest,” Phichit said. “At some point you really do have to start doing what you like best. Because getting booted for a song that wasn't your idea or that you were pushed into would suck a hell of a lot more than going out on one you believed in.”

“And at some point, people are going to go home because there's no alternative. Everyone here is talented. I'm trying to remember that. The less of us there are, the more you'll be in the bottom because someone has to be,” Yuri said. “I'm getting better at it... I think. “Stronger” ended up working out well, so I need to start trusting my gut more.”

“That's what I like to hear!” Phichit grinned. “So I think we're good for next week then. Because let's be real... we're all going to make it through.”

 

 

 

“This song choice is uncharacteristically angsty for you,” Chris said to Victor as he listened to the original track on his phone. “But I think you'll kill it. I just wonder if you can handle the singing style it's in.”

Victor waited until Chris removed his earbuds to respond from where he was flopped on his bed with Makkachin at his feet. “It's what I'm feeling right now. I'm hoping it gets through to the person it's intended for.”

“I would tell you to not worry so much about that but it would be Mr. Chris Potletti calling Mr. Victor Nikettleov black,” he replied, sending Victor into a laughing fit.

“Oh my god you are too much!” Victor said as he calmed down. “But really... the best way to get a performance across is to feel it in here,” he said, tapping his chest.

“To be honest though, it seems like he's closed off because he's too worried about the competition. Which... I can't fault him for, everyone handles things differently,” Chris said. “Maybe as he gets more confident he'll open up to you again.”

Victor sighed heavily then. “I hope so. I... I don't know what it is about him, Chris. I just... I want to help him through this. He deserves to have so much, he's so talented. He shouldn't be in the background.”

“Well don't help him too much, or you'll end up in the bottom two one week,” Chris laughed, then added, “What am I saying? You'll never be in the bottom two.”

“I don't believe it's impossible,” Victor said. “I never discount anything. That's why I put it all out there every week.”

“Well, not everything. If you did, we'd be banned in every country,” Chris said. “But I'd definitely enjoy the view.”

Victor whipped a throw pillow at Chris then, who whipped it right back at him. “Shut up. You have a boyfriend,” Victor said.

“I do. But just because you have a main course doesn't mean you can't peruse the menu,” Chris winked.

Victor grew quiet then, holding his tongue on what he wanted to say, but Chris caught on to it immediately. “What is it?” he asked.

“Just thinking that if I heard the love of my life say that, even in jest, I'd have my reservations too,” Victor said.

Chris blinked, then raised an eyebrow. “Direct hit, Nikiforov,” he replied.

“Maybe you needed to hear it if it stung that much,” Victor said with a shrug as he pulled his blankets over him, giving them a couple of extra tugs to pull enough length out from under Makkachin.

“Touché,” Chris said. “I see you're going to be that best friend that drops the truth bombs.”

“That's the best kind, in my opinion,” Victor said as Chris turned off the light next to his own bed and settled in. “I don't blow smoke up people's asses. Been there, had it done to me, and it doesn't feel good when that smoke chokes you.”

There were a few moments of silence then, broken by Chris' deep sigh.

“Victor?”

“Yes, Chris?”

“Thank you.”

“You're welcome. Now get some sleep.”

 

 

 

**Results Show, Week Two**

**Morooka:** Last night, our Superstars took on some of the most iconic songs in music from some of the greatest Broadway shows of the past and present. We saw performances ranging from the sublime _cut to clip of Sara's “On My Own”_ to the spectacular _cut to clip of Phichit's “Defying Gravity”_. Some found their strength _cut to clip of Yuri's “Stronger”_ and others took it to the next level _cut to clip of Victor's “Close Every Door”_. But tonight, despite some of the best performances of the competition so far, one of them will still go home tonight. Who will it be? Let's find out. THIS... is SUPERSTAR GRAND PRIX! _Cut to “You Only Live Once” opening montage, then to show logo. Go to live group number in 5... 4... 3... 2... 1!_

The stage began dark, with eleven spotlights shining down on the contestants who were spaced equidistant across its expanse, with the judges already looking on from their table. The first notes of the iconic song from _RENT_ , “Seasons of Love”, sent the audience into a roar as the stage lights stayed as they were as the Superstars sang the opening verse in perfect harmony.

 

_Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes_  
_Five hundred twenty-five thousand moments so dear_  
_Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes_  
_How do you measure, measure a year_  
  
_In daylights? In sunsets? In midnights? In cups of coffee?_  
_In inches? In miles, in laughter, in strife? In_  
_Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes_  
_How do you measure, a year in the life_  
  
_How about love?_  
_How about love?_  
_How about love?_  
_Measure in love..._  
_Seasons of love_  
_Seasons of love_  


 

The staging stayed the same in direct homage to the musical, with the contestants remaining where they'd begun the song and the spotlights shining down, but lights in front of them at the foot of the stage coming up to illuminate them further for the purposes of television. The rest of the stage around them stayed dark as the contestants took their very brief solo parts.

 

**Sara:** Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes  
**Guang Hong:** Five hundred twenty-five thousand journeys to plan  
**Yuri:** Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes  
**Mila:** How do you measure the life of a woman or a man?  
  
**Christophe:** In truths that she learned?  
**Yura:** Or in times that he cried?  
**Otabek:** In bridges he burned?  
**Victor:** Or the way that she died?  


 

As Victor held out the long note on the last word of his line, the contestants, wearing the headset mics in another homage to the show, all began to clap to the beat of the song as they meshed into the harmony for the transition in the change and final chorus.

_It's time now, to sing out_  
_For the story never ends_  
_Let's celebrate, remember a year_  
_In the life of friends_  
  
_Remember the love_  
**Sara:** You've got to, you've got to remember the love  
_Remember the love_  
**Phichit:** You know love is a gift from up above  
_Remember the love_  
**Leo:** Share love, give love, spread love  
_Measure in love_  
**Mila:** Measure, measure your life in love  


 

The crowd erupted as Mila went into the final improvisation of her line including the high falsetto run accompanied by the contestants finishing with the last refrains of the chorus. It ended with JJ's improvisation which was taken from the movie version of the song:

 

_Seasons of love_  
_Seasons of love_  
**JJ:** Measure your life, measure your life in love  


 

The show cut to the commercial break as the contestants stood in their places on the stage; once the cameras were paused they headed over to the chairs, walking along the edge of the stage to slap some of the hands of the audience members in the pit. They sat down, with Chris, Victor, Yuri, Phichit and Leo in the top row and Sara, Mila, Yura, Otabek, JJ and Guang Hong in the bottom row. Behind the screen they could see the shadows of the crew putting Kesha's band's equipment together for the second segment of the show, doing as much as they could before the broadcast returned from break.

Before they even really had time to breathe the call for ten seconds to live went out and just as if someone had pulled a switch, all of the contestants began to feel uneasy. Even though a good portion of them really had nothing to worry about, the thought of losing another member of their group, which was becoming more like a family by the day, was just as upsetting.

“And we are back,” Morooka began. “This week's performances were some of the best we've seen so far, but unfortunately, someone still has to go home tonight. So without further ado let's get to that. Kieran, dim the lights, and here we go.”

The stage went mostly dark then, the same anxiety-inducing, lowkey tense-sounding music playing at just a quiet enough volume in the background to make things seem that much worse. Yuri wondered if they'd ever asked an already anxious person whether or not this was a good idea.

“Keep in mind that these results are in no particular order. Yura, you're up,” Morooka said and he walked over to the mark about 20 feet away from the chairs, next to Morooka. “You performed “You're In the Band” from _School of Rock._ Celestino said it was the perfect song choice for you. Minako said you found something that worked for you and did it very well. And Yakov said the confidence you have in yourself as a performer at your age is commendable. Our viewers voted, and they agreed with the judges. Yura, you are safe, head on back to the chairs.” Yura gave a nod and a fistpump, then looked directly into the camera and gave a thumbs up as a “thank you” to the viewers before heading back to his chair.

“Phichit, you're next,” Morooka said; Phichit headed over to a sprinkling of cheers from the audience, at which he flashed a smile. “You performed “Defying Gravity” from _Wicked._ Celestino wanted to know where a little guy like you puts a voice like that.” There was a bit of laughter from the audience and Phichit grinned in response. “Minako said she isn't sure if you're human. And Yakov said you are an immense talent. And our viewers... agreed with the judges. Phichit, you are safe, head on back to the chairs buddy.” He gave Phichit a pat on the shoulder as he made his way back to his seat.

“Leo, you are next,” Morooka said, and Leo stood up and came over, waving at the crowd as a few cheers sounded from the mostly shadowed audience. “You sang “I Just Can't Wait to Be King” from _The Lion King_. Celestino loved your dancing and said it was a really fun performance. Minako said it was definitely entertaining. And Yakov said you are on your way to being a well-rounded performer. Our viewers voted and they... agreed with the judges. Leo, you are safe.” More cheers erupted from the audience and Leo flashed another smile and wave as he returned to his seat.

“Mila, please come forward,” Morooka called and she headed over to stand next to him. “Mila, you sang “Out Tonight” from _RENT_. Celestino said it couldn't have been more perfect for you. Minako loved that you aren't afraid to try different things. And Yakov said it was a wise choice for you and an excellent performance. The viewers voted... and you, Mila, are safe. Head on back to the chairs.” Mila grinned and, taking a cue from Yura, looked into the cameras and blew a kiss to the viewers before heading back to her seat.

“Otabek, you're up,” Morooka announced next; he gave a nod to Yura who said a quick “davai” to him before he walked over to the mark on the stage. “Otabek, you performed “Wake Me Up When September Ends” from _American Idiot._ Minako said there was nothing vocally challenging about it. Celestino said it was a cop-out. Yakov said he could not find fault with you going with what you know, but that the viewers might... and... they did. Otabek, you are in the bottom three tonight. Please head to center stage.” Over at the chairs, Yura stood up in anger, with Mila and Victor both reaching to pull him back down into his chair as Otabek headed to center stage.

“Guang Hong, please come forward,” Morooka called next and he came over, hands already clasped in front of him as his nerves kicked in. “You sang “Memory” from _Cats_. Minako said she couldn't see how you could relate to it. Celestino said he felt you could have found something that worked better for you. And Yakov said you would be in trouble this week... and... he was correct. Guang Hong, you are in the bottom three, head on over to join Otabek at center stage.”

Morooka then walked over to where Otabek and Guang Hong were standing. “Well, so far we have two of our bottom three this evening. Who will be the third contestant to join them? We will find out in a bit, but first, after the break we will have a performance from Kesha. Stay tuned. THIS... is Superstar Grand Prix!”

As the show cut to the commercial break Guang Hong and Otabek were told to temporarily head back to their chairs to watch Kesha's performance when the show returned. When both sat down they received encouraging words from their fellow contestants. Otabek took it all in stride, however.

“I knew I might have fucked this week up,” he said. “I am honestly not surprised I'm in the bottom.”

“I am,” Yura growled.

“No, really, Yura, I can see why,” Otabek said, fixing his gaze on Yura until the younger teen looked at him. “I didn't put in as much work as I could have and it was a shit song for something like this. I should have done better.”

At the end of the bottom row of chairs, Guang Hong was sitting in silence, with the awkwardness from his confrontation with JJ the night before still lingering. Instead of attempting to make amends JJ withdrew, keeping quiet; noticing this Yuri and Phichit leaned forward from the top row to offer some more encouraging words to Guang Hong.

The show returned from break and Kesha performed to a great welcome from the crowd, and after another commercial break that drew out the tension even more, the show resumed and finally picked back up with the eliminations.

“Chris, please come forward,” Morooka said; Chris received a pat on the shoulder from Victor as he left his seat to make his way over. “You sang “I'll Cover You (Reprise)” from _RENT_. Minako said it was on a whole other level. Celestino was surprised you didn't do the more upbeat version, but Yakov thought it was a wise choice. Our viewers vote and Chris... you... are safe.” The crowd cheered a bit louder than they had so far for those who were safe, and Chris gave a wave and a smile as he returned to the chairs.

“Victor, you're up,” Morooka said, and Chris gave him the same shoulder pat in return as Victor made his way to the mark. “You performed “Close Every Door” from _Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat._ Minako said it was absolutely phenomenal. Celestino said it was a _moment_. And Yakov called it a signature performance. The viewers voted, and you are safe. Victor, head back to the chairs.” There were the same loud cheers there had been for Christophe as Victor headed back to his seat.

“Sara, please come forward,” Morooka called next and she made her way over, feeling more nervous as there were only two more contestants left after her. “You sang “On My Own” from _Les Miserables._ Celestino said there is a lot more nuance in your voice since we first saw your audition. Minako said it was truly gorgeous. And Yakov said it was excellent work. The viewers have spoken... and you, Sara...” Morooka paused then, waiting until she showed signs of nerves surfacing, “...are safe. Head on back to the chairs. JJ and Yuri, please come over.”

Yuri's stomach immediately twisted into knots as he stepped down from the top row; JJ had already run ahead and was standing with Morooka, making the 20 or so feet between the chairs and the mark on the stage feel that much longer to Yuri. He came to a stop next to JJ, who was wearing a confident look on his face.

“Yuri, you sang “Stronger” from _Finding Neverland._ Minako said the song is totally you. Celestino said you absolutely killed the glory note at the end. And Yakov said you can hold your own against anyone here.” Yuri couldn't help but swallow hard, hands clasped tightly behind his back.

Morooka turned to JJ then. “JJ, you sang “Music of the Night” from _The Phantom of the Opera._ Minako said she felt it got away from you a little bit. Celestino said he wished you'd chosen something a bit more off the beaten path. And Yakov said it was not the right song for you.” JJ's face remained confident, but a closer look saw him swallow hard as well.

“The viewers have spoken,” Morooka began. “And.... Yuri...”

Yuri began to feel lightheaded; over in the chairs, everyone's eyes went wide.

“Our viewers have spoken and... you...” Morooka was dragging this out entirely too long; he stared at the card in his hand and Yuri was almost positive he saw a flash of disbelief over the host's face, betrayed by a momentary furrowing of his brows.

“Yuri... you... are in the bottom three tonight. Head on over to center stage.”

The audience erupted in an angry chorus of boos and shouts; all three judges, even Yakov, were completely stunned. Over at the chairs Victor had stood up, mouth hanging open in shock while Leo and Phichit hugged to console each other; Mila hugged Sara who had broken into tears. Yura was standing up shouting “No fucking way! Fuck that! No way!” (thankfully out of the range of the microphones) as JJ made his way back to the chairs, head down, not daring to look at anyone as he heard the other contestants venting in anger as well.

“So this is our bottom three tonight,” Morooka said, still seeming a bit stunned. “Judges, how are you feeling about this right now?”

“I am not surprised with two of them, and appalled at one,” Yakov said bluntly. “Yuri should not be standing there.”

“No, absolutely not,” Minako said. “There is no way he should be in the bottom.”

“This is a classic case we see so many times on these shows,” Celestino noted. “Never, ever, assume your favorite is safe. Vote for them no matter how well they have done, because this is what happens.”

“Wise words,” Morooka said. “Who will be going home tonight? We'll find out... after the break.” The show cut to commercial then as the audience erupted in boos once more.

At center stage Otabek and Guang Hong had flanked Yuri on either side, wrapping their arms around him as he tried to calm down, clamping his eyes shut as the flashbacks assaulted him: The disappointment of his family when he'd failed so spectacularly, the jeers and taunts from his classmates. But this time he'd done a good performance, a damn good one even. _What the hell did I do wrong?_ He raised his head, taking cold comfort in the continued disapproval of the crowd. Guang Hong rubbed Yuri's back, speaking softly, telling him he was going to be fine; Otabek kept a firm arm around Yuri's shoulders, concerned the Japanese man might pass out from the anxiety.

Over in the chairs Victor had buried his face in his hands, taking deep breaths as he tried to calm down himself. _No, he can't be going home. This cannot be happening. He doesn't deserve this._ Chris watched the judges and noted that Minako was keeping a sharp eye on Yuri, very obviously concerned for him; Yakov and Celestino were conversing, each leaned back in their chairs to see around her. Morooka returned to the stage as the ten seconds to live was called and Chris slid an arm around Victor's shoulders, murmuring for him to sit back up before the cameras went live again.

“And we are back with our very surprising bottom three,” Morooka began. “I'm sure you all want to know what our final result is, so let's get right to it.” He walked over to where the three men stood, with Otabek and Guang Hong's arms still around Yuri. “The first contestant that is safe tonight... is... Yuri.”

For a moment, Yuri didn't realize his name had been called, then buried his face in his hands as he gasped for air after realizing he'd been holding his breath for at least ten seconds. After a moment he dazedly returned Guang Hong's hug, and then shook hands with Otabek as he gave Yuri's back a pat. After another moment to get his bearings Yuri headed back to the chairs, heart pounding out of his chest and praying he didn't vomit on the stage. He climbed up to the second row of seats where Chris hugged him tightly, then Victor nearly crushed him in an embrace; he sat down to the same response from Phichit and Leo, and only then did he realize the crowd hadn't stopped cheering for him.

Once the “Quiet Please” signs were employed, Morooka continued. “The contestant going home tonight...” He paused again, this time relenting after a few seconds when an already annoyed crowd began to protest the dragging out of the final result. “Otabek...” The crowd gasped and Yura coiled to jump from his seat. “You are safe. Guang Hong, you are going home tonight.”

The crowd had already gotten the result they'd wanted when Yuri was pronounced safe, and as such the response was tepid as Otabek hugged Guang Hong before returning to his seat. Morooka walked up to Guang Hong, draping an arm around his shoulders.

“You had a really great run, and you've learned so much. It's been a pleasure having you along for this journey,” Morooka said. “Turn around and have a look at the screens.” The giant LED panels played a montage of Guang Hong's time on the show as the audience applauded or reacted to different moments. When it finished, Morooka handed him a microphone.

“Guang Hong is going to sing us out one last time. And that's our show for tonight. Remember everyone, _you have to vote_ no matter what to keep your favorite in the running. Tune in next week when our contestants will take on the vast genre of R &B and Hip-Hop. Morooka – out!”

Guang Hong waited for the band to start up; instead of reprising his Broadway song, he'd elected to return to his Showcase song, “How Long” by Charlie Puth. As he performed, Minako shook her head; it had only taken one wrong song choice to send a great young talent home... and it would only get more brutal as the weeks went on.

 

 

 

**After Results Show - Superstar Mansion**

The contestants had a very somber ride back to the mansion on the shuttle bus, with everyone filing to their rooms once they'd arrived home. After Leo checked briefly on Yuri he stayed in his room with Guang Hong as his roommate began to pack in preparation for leaving the next afternoon, to embark on the same press tour that Minami had gone on after his elimination, before Guang Hong returned home to China.

“They better not make me pair up with JJ now,” Leo said irritably. “I'll sleep on the floor in Yuri and Phichit's room before I do that.”

“I really don't understand how he was safe and Yuri was in the bottom,” Guang Hong said. “Yuri's performance was so great. JJ's was just... there.”

“Something's not right about it. I guess people thought Yuri would be safe,” Leo said. “It was scary either way. There is no way in hell Yuri should even be considered to go home.”

“I kind of knew Otabek would be in the bottom but... yeah. This was a super weird night,” Guang Hong agreed.

Two doors down the hall, Phichit had closed the door to his and Yuri's room as everything caught up with Yuri and he broke down. He'd thrown himself face down onto the bed as soon as they'd walked in and was sobbing into his pillow in a mix of relief and leftover anxiety from the triggering of the flashback to the trauma from his dance recital. Phichit sat at his hip, rubbing his friend's back with a hand and letting him ride it out, as he'd learned to do during their time together as roommates. Phichit had come to realize that there was very little he could really do to help Yuri at times like this; his friend needed to work through it on his own, and Phichit's presence was all he really asked for; as such Phichit would always stay close by in case Yuri did ask for anything, even if it was just a bottle of water.

Yuri had just begun to really quiet down when there was a soft knock on the door. Phichit went over, opening it a bit to find Victor on the other side.

“How is he? Is he okay?” Victor said, clearly worried.

“He's winding down I think,” Phichit said. “He'll probably fall asleep now.”

“Can I... can I come in?” Victor asked, his tone pleading.

Phichit debated for a few moments, then made the executive decision and opened the door the rest of the way. Victor made his way in just as Yuri was sitting up to dangle his legs off the side of the bed, considering looking for sleep clothes to change into. His hair, which had been gelled back, was mostly falling down now, his glasses on the nightstand next to the bed, his stage makeup a mess with a lot of it smeared into the pillowcase.

Victor sat down carefully next to Yuri on the bed; as he felt the bed dip Yuri looked up and seemed startled to see him there.

“Oh Yuri... god, don't let this wreck everything...” Victor wasn't even sure what he was saying or if it meant anything, but the completely devastated, exhausted look on the other's face had smashed his heart into a million pieces. Without another word he reached out with both arms and to his surprise Yuri fell into them, with Victor crushing him into an embrace as Yuri broke down again. Phichit decided then to leave the two of them alone, quietly closing the door behind him as he headed down the hall to Leo and Guang Hong's room.

Victor rubbed Yuri's back as the other sobbed for a bit longer, holding him close. After a bit Victor grew concerned as Yuri became almost too quiet, his head resting on Victor's shoulder; he looked down to find Yuri fast asleep just as Phichit had said he would be. Unsure at first what to do, Victor gently laid Yuri back onto the bed, lifting his legs up and undoing the short black combat boots that had gone with his outfit of dark indigo skinny jeans and a white button-down shirt with a mock vest attached. He set the boots down on the floor then pulled the blankets out from under Yuri gently even though it was obvious he probably wouldn't be waking up any time soon, covering him up then reaching to smooth his unkempt hair out of his face. He watched Yuri sleep for a while, wishing he'd had a chance to talk to him before he'd crashed and hoping he'd be all right if he woke up before Phichit returned.

It was then that Victor made the snap decision that he wouldn't leave Yuri alone. He'd already changed before coming to the room so Victor lay down behind Yuri, on top of the blankets, moving in just enough that his chest was resting against Yuri's back through the thick comforter. He draped an arm around Yuri's waist and laid his head on the pillow behind the other's head, sighing softly as his worry kept him distracted.

“Victor... what...?”

It felt like only a second had passed when Victor opened his eyes to find Yuri facing him from beneath the blankets. He blinked awake, peering momentarily over Yuri to see Phichit's bed was still made; the alarm clock on the nightstand read two hours later than it had been when he'd laid down.

“Oh... Phichit left when I came in and... I didn't want to leave you alone. You fell asleep,” Victor said, feeling the blush over his face. _Oh this sounds so ridiculous... I hope I haven't fucked up here..._ He focused back on the moment then to find Yuri smiling softly, with only his head poking out of the blankets.

“Thanks,” Yuri said, “for coming in here. You didn't have to do that.”

“I was worried... after what you told me...”

“Yeah... I know. And it was pretty scary... but now I'm pissed off. Next week, I'm getting back to what I do best. I can only be what they want me to be so much before I start losing myself. I'm not letting this happen again,” Yuri said. “I'm listening to me first, so I don't doubt myself anymore.”

Victor couldn't help but smile then. “That's what I want to hear,” he said, reaching up with a hand to pat Yuri's shoulder through the blankets. “But I have a more immediate word of advice.”

“What's that?” Yuri asked.

“Never sleep in your makeup,” he grinned. “It's bad for your skin.”

Yuri blinked, then broke into laughter. “Because we both haven't heard that from Anya a million times already,” he grinned.

“Well, I just wanted to make sure you were paying attention!” Victor laughed.

Yuri rose then, looking at his pillowcase. “Ew, half my face is on the pillow. Yeah I need to get this crap off of me. I didn't even wear this much makeup in theater,” he said as he got out of bed. On the other side, Victor sat up as well while Yuri came around the foot of the bed to rummage in his dresser.

“Did you... want me to stay?” Victor asked. “Just till Phichit comes back?”

“No... I'll be all right. You should get some sleep,” Yuri said.

“All right... but you know where to find me if you need me,” Victor assured him.

“I do,” Yuri smiled; just then there was a soft knock on the door. He walked over and opened it to find a sleepy Phichit on the other side, still in his stage clothes and makeup.

“I'm sorry,” Victor said. “He fell asleep and then so did I.”

“It's okay,” Phichit said, “I was bs'ing with Guang Hong and Leo.” He walked over to hug Yuri. “Dude... you look rough,” he laughed.

“Yeah I know, I'm gonna take a quick shower and get back to sleep,” he said. At that, Victor rose.

“That's my cue,” Victor smiled. “Rest well you two. I'll see you at breakfast.” And with that he took his leave, closing the door behind him.

“Fell asleep?” Phichit grinned.

“Yeah, we did. I woke up and there he was,” Yuri said.

“He was really worried about you,” Phichit said. “It was sweet.”

Yuri nodded then as he gathered his things for his shower. “ _He's_ sweet. And I need to figure out my own head, before he gives up on me.”

“I don't think that will happen,” Phichit said. “If anything, tonight proves he wants to be closer.”

Yuri sighed then, a blush crossing his face. “I hope so. Anyway...”

“Go,” Phichit said. “I'll find you a pillowcase because this just is creepy.” He held up the pillow which had a bizarre imprint of Yuri's face in it from the makeup Anya had carefully airbrushed and painted on.

“Oh god yes please,” Yuri laughed as he headed into the bathroom, “or I'll have nightmares for sure.”

 

 

 

**Post Results Show Twitter Chatter for Broadway Week**

**Victuri is REAL people! (@supervicturi)**  
Wow that was some fucking bullshit! How the hell was Yuri in the bottom with that performance? Who the fuck is voting for JJ's bigheaded ass? This can't have been the real result, the producers had to be screwing around. Anyway I'm glad Yuri's safe this week!  
_15 minutes ago �• 8.3k retweets • 12.1k likes_

**Nutting Nikiforov (@MrsNikiforov)**  
@supervicturi did you go to the results show again? Any more #victuri action?  
_30 minutes ago • 1k retweets • 489 likes_

**Victuri is REAL people! (@supervicturi)**  
@MrsNikiforov no I didn't this week, you can only win the lottery once every four shows. But with the way Victor hugged him after he was safe I think that says a lot tbh #victuri  
_35 minutes ago • 2k retweets • 3.4k likes_

**Otaybitchin' (@OtaYuriFTW)**  
DUDE Yura was PISSED THE FUCK OFF when Otabek was in the bottom Victor and Mila had to hold him back lol and he was mad about Yuri too. He's gonna cut someone live on the air lolllll #otayuri #superstaryurip #superstaryurik #superstarotabek  
_1 hour ago • 952 retweets • 622 likes_

**FUCK JJ TBH (@LeoLover1996)**  
Seriously why do people keep voting for JJ? He doesn't listen to any of the judges and keeps doing the same shit and stands there with that smug ass look on his face that I want to slap off when they tell him he didn't do something right. His ass should have gone home!  
_2 hours ago • 633 retweets • 1.3k likes_

**Guang Hong is Guang Gone :'((((( (@Guangnami)**  
OKAY SO NOW THAT GUANG HONG IS GONE BECAUSE OF JEAN-JACKOFF WE HAVE TO MOBILIZE. KEEP YURI IN THE COMPETITION. GIVE YOUR GUANG HONG VOTES TO YURI STARTING NEXT WEEK SO JJ GOES HOME. #superstarguanghong #superstaryurik  
_2.5 hours ago • 22.3k retweets • 15.2k likes_

 

 

 

**Top 10 Week Performance Show – R &B and Hip-Hop**

The days following the Broadway Week results show had been fraught with some growing tension in the house. Yura and JJ had clashed several times, mostly due to Yura's continual snarking. A nerve of some kind had most definitely been hit in Yura, and despite even Nikolai's insistence that Yura let it go, the Russian teen was still holding some sort of grudge going into the Top 10 performance show.

The ten remaining contestants had just finished the afternoon dress rehearsal, with an hour to go before the doors opened for the audience as had become the routine each week, and were now back in the green room with a few of them partaking of some light hors d'oeuvres from the craft services tables set up in the room. The show was shaping up to be very interesting, with everyone's song choices quite good; even the contestants themselves couldn't predict how it would all go.

Victor, Chris, Yuri and Phichit were sitting around a small table in the room, each nibbling on various snacks and scrolling through their phones to pass the time. So far none of the contestants had gone out of line on social media and if it remained so this week, they'd be allowed to start posting personal messages in addition to just the show-approved generic tweets that implored their fans to watch and vote, and gave out their voting information and hashtags.

Yuri had, out of curiosity, gone into his hashtag on Twitter to see what his fans were saying. He'd learned very early that his mentions were a pretty scary place, and he'd probably blocked at least a hundred accounts or more since the show began. But the hashtags very often gave the contestants a feel for what was going on, so against his better judgment he'd taken a look – and was somewhat alarmed at what he'd found.

“So it looks like all of Guang Hong's fans are going to vote for me this week,” he said. “They're mad about JJ.” He'd cast a glance around the room before mentioning the Canadian, but JJ was off in a corner of the room, keeping to himself as he had been since last week's results show, earbuds in place.

“I've seen that too,” Phichit said. “When Minami got eliminated all his fans voted for Guang Hong, but obviously it wasn't enough.”

“That's not really how it should work though,” Victor said. “They should be voting based on performances.”

Chris snorted, then laughed. “Victor, you naive child. That's most definitely not how it works, at least not for the superfans.”

“In the US we call them stans,” Leo said as he sat down with his food at the table. “And yeah, there's definitely a difference between the fans who are there for the singing and the ones that just are...”

“Obsessed?” Phichit asked.

“Yep. They'll defend you even if you put in the worst performance ever. Which... I mean, it's nice to be supportive and all but it's on another level for some. I've been trying to stay out of the hashtags and my mentions. There's more creepiness than good. A lot of them I don't understand because they're in other languages, which might be a good thing.”

“I've gotten that too,” Yuri said. “There's been a bit of French but a _lot_ of Russian. With three Russians in the competition I'm not sure why I have Russian fans. But the majority are Japanese and for the most part they're pretty chill. And the US fans are decent except for the bunch I had to block.” Yuri paused then as he felt Chris' gaze on him off to his right; he looked over and saw Chris smirking.

“What?” Yuri asked; next to Chris, Victor was also frowning curiously.

“You do realize that there's a tag called #victuri right?” Chris asked.

Phichit snortlaughed, Leo covered his face as he giggled, and both Yuri and Victor's eyes went wide.

“Darlings, you need to get with the program. _All_ the fans of the show have noticed you two. You are officially a 'ship' that is sailing around the world every week,” Chris confirmed.

“I... we've been trying to keep it low key,” Victor said.

“Body language gives you away, especially this past week,” Phichit said. “The results show was very telltale.”

Victor was watching Yuri's reactions from across the table; the Japanese man was blushing furiously, but didn't seem too affronted. “Well... what do we do then?” he asked, at which Yuri turned with a somewhat upset expression.

“Do? Like... what do you mean? Stop?” Yuri replied.

“I mean... well... it's not like we're official or anything... or even...” Victor felt his foot sliding further into his mouth with every word, especially when Yuri seemed to grow more upset.

“Oh...” Yuri replied; he then abruptly rose from the table, tossing his paper plate out and going into the adjoining room where a rehearsal space had been set up for last-minute vocal warmups and practices. Victor facepalmed as he felt his stomach clench. Phichit got up and followed Yuri into the other room, closing the door behind him.

“Aw, he's just nervous about tonight,” Leo said. “Last week really shook him up, so he's just super touchy right now. I'm sure you'll be able to talk it out later.”

“I just... every time I think I've gotten a bit of headway with him... he pulls away, or I fuck up, or...” Victor's words trailed off as he sighed hard, burying his face in his hands.

“Careful, Anya will have a fit if you mess up your makeup,” Chris teased, trying to break the tension.

“I'm good at messing up things, apparently,” Victor snapped back then rose from the table, heading into an alcove created with two sectional sofas in the far corner of the room opposite where JJ was, pulling out his own earbuds and pressing them into his ears. Mila and Sara had just been coming over to sit at the table next to theirs and both watched, puzzled as they took their seats.

“What's he on about?” Mila asked. “Victor's never out of sorts before a performance.”

“Boy troubles,” Chris said as he licked the last bit of frozen yogurt off his spoon from the cup he'd been working on.

“When is Yuri going to just come out with it and tell Victor how he feels?” Sara asked. “It's so obvious.”

“I think it might have come out but not the way either of them expected,” Phichit said. “It's a bit of a mess at the moment.”

“They need to just go for it. That's what we did and it's saved so much grief,” Mila said. “The fans ship everyone anyway. They had Sara and I linked up before we even knew we had feelings for each other.”

“They both seem scared for some reason,” Leo said. “But they probably need to both figure it out, because there's really no point in hiding it anymore.”

 

 

 

Yuri had gone into the practice room without paying attention to whether or not it was occupied, sitting down and digging in his pocket for his earbuds. His mind swirled with a mix of anxiety over the coming performance, and now with uncertainty about Victor after deciding to be more open with him. _Nothing ever makes sense lately. Too much going on..._

“You all right?”

The voice was muffled as Yuri heard it through his earbuds just seconds before he turned on the music in his phone; he looked up to see Yura walking toward him, with Otabek sitting on a chair in the far corner, his own earbuds in his ears and reading lyrics off his phone. Yuri pulled the buds out, cupping them in a hand. “Yeah...” he answered with a heavy sigh. “Just have a lot on my mind.”

“Don't let the bullshit from last week fuck with you,” Yura said. “I don't for a minute believe you were really in the bottom three.”

Phichit had followed Yuri in and came to a stop next to the keyboard. “How's that?” Phichit asked.

“There's rumors on Twitter that the reason they always say the results are in “no particular order” and not that the order is specific is so they can fuck with them. There's no way in hell you weren't safe last week. You did a great performance.”

Yuri wasn't certain that Yura hadn't been replaced with an alien at this point; the teen was far too calm and actually encouraging. “I don't really think they'd do that... would they?” he replied.

“I don't know. What's your take on it, Phichit?” Yura asked, a knowing smirk curling the corners of his mouth when Phichit's eyes went wide and Yuri's face turned worried.

“Don't worry. I'm the only one that's noticed, I won't say anything,” Yura said. “But has Seung Gil said anything about it?”

Phichit recovered then, letting out a sharp exhale. “I don't get to talk to him much at all. But no. I doubt he'd tell me anything like that anyway. We have to be careful as it is. I can get disqualified if anyone finds out we've been talking in anything more than a professional manner. Which... it hasn't gone much beyond 'where are you from' or recommendations for Thai food places I found here that I like, that kind of thing. He knows he has to keep his distance.”

Yura waved him off with a casual hand. “I didn't hear a word you just said,” he replied, confirming Phichit's secret was safe. “But yeah. Between how they play up shit every week with the intros, where they kind of remind people how good or bad we've done in the past and shit... I have to wonder. I just think you're more safe than you think you are. I feel like there's a lot of drama that's made up.”

“Yeah... I guess so,” Yuri said. “I'll just do what I do and hopefully I won't have any more scares. It's not like I can do much else you know?”

“That's the trick,” Yura said. “If you let it rattle you, I guarantee it will happen again. Come back strong this week, and you'll be fine.” He then gave Yuri a thumbs up and a nod before turning to head back over to Otabek.

Yuri looked at Phichit, the other returning his confused expression. Phichit pulled out his phone then and texted Yuri, who then pulled his own phone from his pocket as it vibrated.

**Phichit:** Okay where is the real Yura? What have they done to him?

**Yuri:** LOL RIGHT WHAT IS GOING ON RIGHT NOW

**Phichit:** Well don't argue with it, it might be the only time it ever happens. At least you had a witness! This is blackmail material LOL

**Yuri:** you're evil

**Phichit:** Anyway... so yeah Victor was really upset when you walked out.

**Yuri:** Yeah well. He seemed more upset about being 'shipped' with me, so

**Phichit:** aw Yuri don't be like that. You both need to talk this out and clear the air.

**Yuri:** Well it's not happening now. I want to run through my song one more time before the show and I need to focus.

**Phichit:** okay okay but it needs to happen soon or it's just going to get worse.

**Yuri:** Whatever. Link your Bluetooth buds to this keyboard and listen to this for me. That's more important right now.

 

 

 

The show began as per usual, with Morooka out first, then the introduction of the judges, and finally the contestants walking out in a stage-spanning line, splitting up to slap and shake hands in the front row before heading to the chairs at Seung Gil's signal. As they took their seats, Victor looked over the top row to find he was at the end seat with Chris, Mila, Sara and JJ off to his left; it appeared that Yuri had made an effort to put some distance between them, as the bottom row saw Yura directly below Victor, followed by Otabek, Leo, Yuri and Phichit to Yura's left.

With Minami and Guang Hong both gone, there were now approximately 10 extra minutes in the show to fill, and the contestants had found out during this week's dress rehearsal that the myriad of footage they'd filmed over the time between Hollywood Week and the first live show were now being utilized, along with the various clips that producers had done in and around their homes after their auditions, with a small bio blip before each contestant's performance. However, the producers had not run the clips during the rehearsal, claiming they “weren't cued up”; Phichit had to wonder, now that Yura had put a conspiratorial bug in his head, whether or not they hadn't seen the clips because the producers didn't want any objections. He shook off the thought as Morooka went into the first introduction of the night.

“Our first contestant this evening hails from Lausanne, Switzerland, and was discovered from his audition in Paris. He has quite an interesting background. Before he performs, here's a bit about Christophe Giacometti.”

_Shot of Christophe auditioning. Cut to Chris on interview set._ **Chris, looking into camera:** Bonjour, my name is Chris Giacometti and I am from Lausanne, Switzerland. (grins) _Cut to footage of Chris in Lausanne, performing on the pole/hanging upside down_. **Chris, voiceover:** “I've been a professional dancer since the age of 18, but I've been studying it since I was six years old. I started singing when I was 10 and it all just came together to the work I do now. I enjoy what I do _Cut to Chris on interview set_ but it was time to share this fabulousness with the world.” (grins) _Cut to montage of Chris' show performances_ **Chris, voiceover:** _“_ I've been trying to change things up and keep everyone guessing, and I think I'll really surprise everyone this week.” _Cut to Chris on interview set_ (looks into camera with a grin) “My song this week is 'Crazy In Love'” by Beyoncé. I hope you enjoy it! (waves) _Cut to live shot of Chris_

Chris had been standing on the stage in his beginning pose, listening to the video but not watching on the screen as it was behind him. He heard the drummer count off by hitting his muted hi-hat cymbal and the horn section kicked in to intro the song. He began to strut out, reciting the spoken intro...

…in a skin-tight, gold rainbow hologram bodysuit with black booty shorts connected to black suspenders, and thigh-high black stiletto boots with six-inch heels.

The crowd went absolutely insane as Chris began to do Beyoncé's trademark dance, shaking his hips at an impossible rate before going into the song, singing flawlessly as he strutted around the stage in full supermodel walk, using a falsetto for the parts that were a bit higher as he expertly controlled his breath. There was a short instrumental interlude where Chris did a few dangerous-looking twirls in the stilettos, then went back to strutting as he first sang the change, continuing while doing Beyoncé's booty dance for the final chorus. He ended with turning his back to the audience and twerking a few times before stopping on the final note with feet planted wide apart, tossing a sultry glance over his shoulder. He was only able to keep the sexy expression for a moment as the crowd went absolutely ballistic, causing him to break into a huge grin as he turned around, supermodel-walking up to the mark at center stage in front of the judges for his critique. He looked out over the crowd as his chest heaved, still winded from the rush of finally doing a full performance again, however short.

Over at the chairs, everyone had been on their feet and dancing in place, with Phichit, Leo and Victor screaming at Chris' ridiculous dance skills and tricks. Yuri was afraid he'd fall or hurt himself and actually felt a bit nervous for him, letting out an exhale and then a whoop of his own when the performance ended.

Minako had been on her feet since Chris first walked out onstage and she was still cheering wildly until the “Quiet Please” screens went up, at which she finally sat down to give her critique.

“ _CHRIS!”_ she practically shrieked into the microphone. “Oh my GOD I knew you were doing this song this week but the staging was totally kept a secret! This was _ridiculous!_ It's not the most challenging song vocally, but the fact that you were able to do it in six inch stilettos? Are you _kidding_ me? It's hard enough for a woman to dance in those but there are only a few men I've ever seen do it. Amazing performance!” she said, almost shouting the whole way through, she was so riled up.

“Chris, I dunno man, I think the show's over,” Celestino laughed. “Like Minako said, the song itself isn't especially challenging vocally, but you added an element of difficulty with your performance of it. And I'm gonna get attacked by the Beyhive for this but I think you sang it much better than she did even with the boots on!” Chris broke into laughter at that, clapping his hands.

“You took a very big chance with this performance, but you have shown everyone exactly what type of performer you are. You take chances. You take a song that is iconic and make it that much more so. And as Celestino said, you still sounded quite good. A most excellent performance from a very talented artist,” Yakov said.

Morooka walked over then and stood next to Chris, who was about six inches taller than normal in the heels. Morooka played this up by looking up, pretending to shade his eyes from the sun which made the audience laugh and cheer. “Well I don't know how the rest of the night is going to go but this was an amazing start,” he said. He then proceeded to give out Chris' voting information and the reminder about the iTunes tracks. Chris then hurried backstage to change into the combat boots he'd come out at the beginning of the show in while Morooka went into the next introduction.

“Our next performer is a native of St. Petersburg, Russia, and we first met her at the Moscow auditions. Say hello to Mila Babicheva!”

_Cut to Mila's audition, then Mila on the interview set._ (looking into camera) “I am Mila Babicheva, and I am from St. Petersburg, Russia.” (smiles) _Cut to a shot of Mila performing with her club band in Moscow._ **Mila, voiceover:** “I drove from St. Petersburg to Moscow to audition. I knew it was probably the biggest chance I'd ever have to get some kind of way out of the music scene there.” _Cut to Mila on interview set_ “I felt like there weren't a lot of opportunities to go forward there, so I knew it was what I had to do.” _Cut to montage of Mila's performances._ **Mila, voiceover:** “I'm so glad I did because I've already learned and grown so much and have met people who are like my family now.” _Cut to Mila on interview set._ “For this week I am singing one of my favorite songs right now, 'Sorry Not Sorry' by Demi Lovato. I hope everyone likes it!” (smiles, waves) _Cut to Mila live._

Mila was in the darkness as the first few notes of the song began, then her voice rang out over the quiet stage as she began the intricate melody line of the verses, walking out slowly as she addressed the audience, judges and cameras with intense, sultry looks. She stopped moving as she went into the difficult, higher notes of the chorus, immediately invoking cheers and screams from the audience as she nailed it. Over in the chairs, the other contestants were also cheering as she slinked across the stage, skimming the edge but opting to tease the audience by not reaching down to touch hands. As the song went into the abbreviated version of the change she began to improvise, her notes getting higher and higher until she let loose with an insanely high glory note, then went full throttle into the final chorus, improvising over the backing singers and emoting with a closed fist and stomping a foot at the final note. The crowd went completely insane once again, screaming for several long moments; both the other contestants along with Minako and Celestino gave her a standing ovation as she walked over to the mark at center stage.

“Milaaaaaaaaaa!” Celestino yelled, grinning from ear to ear. “Lady that was an insane performance!! You just keep getting better and better every damn week and are becoming a serious force to be reckoned with,” he said. “There was not one missed note in this and that glory note? Damn! Fantastic performance!”

“Mila I honestly cannot believe how much you have grown in just these few weeks of live performances,” Minako said. “You are like a sponge, absorbing knowledge from every experience and new thing you learn and you come back and punch people in the gut every week. This was an amazing performance, I absolutely loved it.”

“You are going to be one of the biggest stars in music, mark my words,” Yakov said, inciting a round of cheers from the audience. “You are still young and you are still learning everything you care capable of. If you are this good now, I can only begin to guess how much more so you will be in even one year from now. Excellent song choice and excellent performance.”

Mila gave a fistpump and a grin to the camera as Morooka came over to give her shoulder a friendly pat. “That was a very impressive performance, you're starting to scare me!” he laughed and she returned it with a big smile of her own. He then went into giving her voting information and sent her back over to the chairs.

“Well we certainly have had a great start to this week's show,” Morooka said. “After the break, Yura gives us a bit of a different take on a Michael Jackson classic, and Leo returns to form with a recent smash hit. THIS... is Superstar Grand Prix!”

As the show cut to the commercial break Chris returned, having watched Mila's performance from the wings rather than run back out while she was onstage. Sara hugged her with a squeal and the other contestants all gave her approving words.

As Yura rose at the cue to head over to the band Otabek gave him their usual thumbs up and a “davai”; as he turned to walk over he heard his name called and paused, looking back over his shoulder to see Yuri leaning forward, trying to make his voice heard over the hustle of the stage and the murmur of the audience.

“Good luck Yura,” Yuri said with a smile, extending his hand. For a half-second Yura seemed surprised, but then gave Yuri a wicked smirk and shook his hand in return before jogging over to center stage. From the top row JJ watched, drawing in an anxious breath, finding himself for the most part left out of the conversations going on in both rows of chairs during the rest of the break.

The live show returned with Morooka standing in one of the aisles of the audience next to a group of Yura fans holding signs as he started the next introduction.

“Our next performer is from Moscow, and has grown a lot in his time on the show. Here is a bit about Yuri “Yura” Plisetsky.”

_Cut to shot of Yura on interview set_ (looks into camera) “I am Yuri Plisetsky, but everyone here calls me Yura to tell me apart from Japanese Yuri. I am from Moscow, Russia.” _Cut to shot of Yura walking in Red Square_ **Yura, voiceover:** “When I heard the auditions were in Moscow I asked my grandfather Nikolai to go with me because they needed a guardian. At first he didn't want me to do it.” _Cut to shot of Yura walking down a street in Moscow with Nikolai_ **Yura, voiceover:** “He was worried that I was too young, but you grow up fast here.” _Cut to montage of Yura's performances_ **Yura, voiceover:** “I have learned a lot so far from everyone here about performing. It's what I want to do with my life so I can take care of my Grandpa especially.” _Cut to shot of Yura on interview set_ (looks into camera) “My song this week is the Alien Ant Farm cover of “Smooth Criminal” by Michael Jackson. It's different but it fits me very well, I think, and I hope everyone watching thinks so too.” _Cut to Yura live._

There was only a second before the band kicked into the hard rock version of the song, the stage lit up in full rock concert mode as Yura stalked the stage, singing the staccato verse with a minimum of problems with breath control before going into the “Annie are you okay” change, then the falsetto of the chorus, which brought out screams and applause from the crowd as he surprised everyone with the feature of his voice he hadn't used previously. After an abbreviated version of the second verse the song went into the chorus a second time as he ran from one side of the stage to the other, stopping dead center to shout the “You've been hit by, you've been struck by, a smooth criminal!” line, then headbanged a bit to the shortened guitar solo. He improvised high notes over the backing vocals for the final chorus. After a refrain of the “Annie are you okay” lines, he ended with a few screams over the final guitar riff, the last one punctuated with a jump into the air. As he landed he accidentally dropped the mic but played along with it, making a “spike the ball” motion with his hand. After retrieving the mic he walked up to the mark at center stage completely out of breath, panting heavily as he looked down at the judges.

“Yura!” Celestino called out, which brought the audience to silence. “As good as this performance was, and it was very good, I have to question if this was really within the parameters of the theme,” he began. “Was this version on the list?”

Yura raised his mic, expression darkening a bit; over at the chairs Yuri's face also drew into an annoyed frown. “Yeah, it was,” Yura replied. “The original and this one were both options.”

“Well if it was offered I guess I can't argue, but I don't know that we'll see anyone else changing things up like this tonight,” Celestino said. “But I can't deny that this was a really great performance. You sounded great and your stage presence has improved vastly since we first met you in Moscow.”

“We've seen contestants on other shows do the modifying of arrangements though,” Minako pointed out. “It's always a difficult choice to make, granted, to change up a song from the original but this cover was very well-known and well-liked. I really liked this performance for you and I think it was smart to do something that was in your wheelhouse. If you know you can't pull something off you work with what you know.”

“This is not the first time you have leaned on your genre, however,” Yakov said. “I do not think the original song was very much different than this one and I actually think you could have pulled it off. My only thought on this is that you could have stretched yourself more and tried to step out of your comfort zone by doing the original. I think your vocal would have been just as good, perhaps better, without worrying so much about the performance. It was still a very good job and a solid performance.”

Yura shifted his weight from one foot to the other, staring down at his feet for a few moments as Morooka came over to give him a pat on the back in encouragement before giving out his voting information. As Yura returned to the chairs while Morooka began the next intro Victor leaned forward in his seat, patting Yura's shoulder and offering positive words along with Yuri and Phichit.

Morooka kept the show moving, beginning the next intro before Yura had gotten seated. “Our next performer is the lone American member of the Superstars. He comes to us from Texas by way of the Los Angeles auditions. Here's a look at Leo de la Iglesia!”

_Cut to Leo on interview set_ “My name's Leo de la Iglesia, which means “Lion of the Church” in Spanish. I'm from Texas, where everything's bigger!” (grins into camera) _Cut to footage supplied by Leo of a school performance_ **Leo, voiceover:** “I was a music major in high school and I've been taking guitar and piano lessons since I was five years old. I love all kinds of music but hip-hop and rap are my favorites.” _Cut to shot of Leo at home with family_ **Leo, voiceover:** “I have a huge family and a lot of us are musicians or involved in music in some way. They were all really encouraging when I said I wanted to do this, and it's nice to know they back me up 100%.” _Cut to montage of Leo's performances, then to Leo on the interview set_ “This is one of my favorite songs and I'm really excited to do it! It's called “Nothin' On You” by B.O.B. featuring Bruno Mars. I hope you're as excited to hear it as I am to sing it for you!” (grins at camera, waves) _Cut to live shot of Leo._

The song began with just Leo's voice and Takeshi's single keyboard backup and an accompanying background singer as it opened with the chorus, his clear tone carrying over the audience. As he broke into the rap that made up the first verse the crowd broke into cheers, the people in the pit dancing and bouncing along. He went back into singing for the change of the song, then into a reprisal of the chorus with a full band. He shuffled and danced across the stage, his engaging personality and bright smile drawing the crowd and viewers in even more. He rapped a shortened version of the second verse that went back into the chorus once more; knowing that the melody line wasn't especially challenging Takeshi had arranged the final chorus to be sung by the backup singer as Leo improvised over it with vocalizations. The song ended with a short rapped interlude and one last quoting of the first for lines of the chorus, with the band ending and Leo reciting the final words “and that's just how we do it” to finish it off with a grin into the camera.

The crowd's response was mid-level, with most of the pit shrieking and screaming their approval as Leo took his mark at center stage. He felt some uncertainty creeping up as all three of the judges seemed to have rather reserved looks on their faces.

“Leo. This performance was just 'okay' for me,” Celestino began. “The vocal wasn't especially challenging and I feel like you've done this type of thing before, haven't you?”

Leo raised his microphone to speak, feeling a knot form in his stomach. “I did 'Still Alive' for the Showcase round, but since that wasn't live I thought I'd try to do something similar for this,” he explained.

“Well it is impressive to see you do this sort of thing live, and this song was a little more tricky than that other one,” Celestino continued. “But after last week I feel like this is a step back. It wasn't a good nor bad performance, just 'okay'.” A healthy round of boos from the audience rose up once he'd finished.

“I like this side of you and there are a lot of performers in this vein,” Minako said. “It's not very easy to rap, nor is it easy to control your breath moving from rap to singing and back. I think you make this song sound deceptively simple because you're just that good. I think this was a really solid performance.”

“You are talented in many different aspects of music, and showing them all is important,” Yakov said. “You don't have to be flashy all the time to show your talent. You do what you do well and it's good sometimes to remind people what they like about you best. I think this was a good performance, if a bit understated. If you choose at some point to do something like this again, perhaps a more difficult song in the same genre would serve you better.” Leo nodded at Yakov in agreement and gave him a soft “thank you” into his microphone.

Morooka then came over, wrapping an arm around Leo's shoulders as he saw the young man's face show a bit of disappointment. “I think the audience really loved this performance,” Morooka offered, with cheers and applause from the audience in response. “And I'm sure the viewers enjoyed it as well. And if all of you did, please remember that _it is so important to vote for your favorite_! You can vote for Leo online at www.grandprixsuperstar.com/vote, on the mobile app for iPhone and Android; you can also text or SMS your vote to Leo's number, GPSTAR06, and there is a limit of ten votes maximum per method. Also remember that sales of all the Superstars' iTunes tracks count as one vote each, and all methods of voting including the iTunes purchases will go live at the end of the show. So get those voting fingers ready and keep iTunes open at 10 pm EST/0300 UTC! All voting methods will be open for exactly twelve hours.” He then gave Leo one last pat on the back.

“Leo, nice job tonight buddy, head on over to the chairs. When we come back, Otabek will perform a hit by Seal, and Yuri will return to the piano with a signature song by John Legend. THIS... is Superstar Grand Prix!”

As the show went to commercial Leo came over and sat down with a heavy sigh, accepting a handshake of kudos from Otabek before he took his leave to get ready for his performance. Yuri gave him a pat on the back and Phichit offered some encouraging words.

“I kind of knew it was a gamble,” Leo admitted. “It went over better than I expected it to, actually. I'm happy with it though.”

“It was fun and it sounded really good,” Sara said. “You're really good at rapping.”

“Seriously, every time I try to rap along with a song I end up blowing raspberries,” Phichit laughed. “I think you'll be fine.”

The call for 30 seconds to live went up and the usual scattering of the crew and the makeup people doing touchups on Minako commenced. Morooka was standing at the judges' table on the end next to Celestino for the next introduction as the show came back from the break.

“Our next performer hails from the country of Kazakhstan, and came to us via the auditions in Moscow. Let's have a look at Otabek Altin.”

_Cut to Otabek on interview set_ **Otabek looks at camera, speaks in Kazakh with English subtitles** “Hello, my name is Otabek Altin and I am from Almaty, Kazakhstan.” _Footage of Otabek's audition_ **Otabek, voiceover:** “I have always enjoyed singing, even though what I do the most is DJ. It is something I've always wanted to do more of so this has been an amazing opportunity.” _Footage of Otabek DJ'ing in a club in Almaty_ **Otabek, voiceover:** “It's been really great to be told you are good at something that you took a chance on, so I am going to work very hard to stay in the competition as long as I can.” _Cut to Otabek on the interview set_ “My song for this week is one of my favorites, “Kiss From A Rose” by Seal. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy singing it for you.” (smiles at camera) _Cut to Otabek live._

The stage was lit in deep rose-colored lighting as the song began with the backing singers vocalizing the introduction, then a spotlight cast down on Otabek, sitting on a stool just in front of the band with his acoustic guitar. He sang the first verse with a sensitive, lilting tone mixed with highlights of falsetto; when he went into the chorus there was a bit of a rasp in his voice for the higher notes. The second verse was abbreviated, moving into the chorus from a second line in the verse that climbed up to a stop in the music, then to the change where he sang with the interwoven backing vocalists singing an “I've been kissed by a rose” refrain that was edited to go into one final reprise of the chorus, during which Otabek improvised a bit. He stayed within his range as he had during the majority of the song, which ended with the final two lines of the chorus a capella. The applause for him was modest, but as Victor watched from the chairs, he noticed the audience seeming very subdued, possibly not just because of the song's mellow tone. Otabek set the guitar in its stand and walked up to the mark at center stage, a feeling of apprehension already slipping in. _That felt a lot better when there wasn't an audience to react... or not to react, it seems..._

“Otabek,” Minako began, and he could already tell she was using her “break it to them gently” tone. “Sweetie, I... this was very pretty, and you have a lovely voice but... I'm not sure it was really in the genre for the week even though it was probably on the list, right?” Otabek nodded, pulling his lower lip in to nip at it. “It was nice to see you playing guitar, and I liked the little bit of rasp in your voice which we hadn't really heard much of before. But... overall I feel like this just might not be enough with the performances we've seen tonight already and with others to come.”

“Yeah buddy, I'm not real sure why you picked this song, there were plenty of others that would have worked for your range that would have been a bit more interesting,” Celestino continued. “I feel like we've seen this type of thing from you several times now with the exception of a couple of performances. So I'm not real sure if this one tonight is going to hold up.”

“You are a decent singer, but the deeper we get into the competition it has become more apparent that you need more work on your voice. You showed a lot of promise in the beginning, but you need to take more risks to stand out,” Yakov said. “This is a good performance, but given the others we have tonight, it may be difficult to hold your own.”

Otabek let out a heavy sigh as Morooka came up to center stage, giving him a pat on the shoulder. “It's always good to get to sing one of your favorite songs for something important though,” he said, accentuating the positive aspect of the performance. He nodded quietly in response as Morooka gave out his voting information, then finally sent him back to the chairs as he moved on to the next introduction, which had Otabek hurrying to his seat.

“Our next performer is from a seaside town in Japan called Hasetsu, but was discovered at the Toronto auditions, where he'd traveled to from his temporary home of Detroit. Let's learn a bit more now about Yuri Katsuki.”

_Cut to Yuri on the interview set; attempts to begin his lines and flubs, cracking everyone up as he blushes. There is a “beep” that signals another take; looks into the camera)_ “Hi, my name is Yuri Katsuki and I am from Hasetsu in the south of Japan.” _Cut to footage of Yuri walking on his university campus_ **Yuri, voiceover:** “I have been living in the US for about five years, in Detroit where I have been attending university as a music major.” _Cut to footage of Yuri's audition_ **Yuri, voiceover:** “I really didn't think my audition was going to attract so much attention, but Bruno Mars tweeted about it and then I got to meet him just before we started the live shows, so that's been pretty amazing.” _Cut to still of Bruno's Instagram post with Yuri, then to footage of his performances_ **Yuri, voiceover** “I always saw myself as a musician that would be in the background, but this experience has shown me that I can be a performer out front as well.” _Cut to Yuri on the interview set_ “My song this week is 'All of Me' by John Legend.” _Cut to Yuri live._

Yuri began to play the intro to the song as the cameras faded from the recorded footage to the live shot, his voice beginning with a soft tone that built as the song progressed. As he went into the first chorus his voice became more powerful, then evoked some murmurs and gasps as he hit the falsetto notes of the ending lines of it perfectly. The song was edited so that it went into the change, during which his voice gained even more power as his confidence grew. As the final chorus began, with harmony accompaniment from Takeshi and the backing singers, there was a scattering of cheers and encouraging whoops from the audience. He felt a bit of the rush that he'd felt previously in some of his other performances as his voice mingled with the harmony, the gorgeous tones of it giving him chills as he finished with gently played high piano notes and the last few words in his pristine falsetto, allowing the piano notes to fade out. There were a few moments of silence as the crowd came out of the trance he'd put them in before the room erupted into cheers and screams, with the majority of the room giving him a standing ovation – including Minako and Celestino as he walked to the mark at center stage.

“Yuri!!!” Celestino cried, his hands clapping in hearty applause as he sat down, with the “Quiet Please” signs being employed to bring the crowd under control. “This was a great return to form for you. We haven't seen you with just a piano and voice since your audition I don't think?” Yuri frowned as he tried to remember himself; it seemed like a million years ago now since even Hollywood Week. “Well whenever it was last, it felt good, it sounded phenomenal, and I think stripped down is what you do best. I think last week you kind of got stuck between theater and performing and to be honest, you need to stick with straight up music.”

“I disagree a little bit, I do think you have a performer in there,” Minako said. “I think last week the change up with what you wanted to do with the song maybe tripped you up a bit, though not very much in my opinion. But last week is gone and this is now and this was fantastic. You have such amazing control of your voice that performing bare bones like this just exposes how gorgeous your tone is. And you can teach a masterclass on falsetto, quite honestly. Beautiful performance.”

“Obviously there are different genres during the course of the show and they require different presentations,” Yakov said. “I am not quite sure this song is R&B in the true sense though it does fall under the umbrella of the genre. Regardless, this was an excellent performance and for this week, this is what was perfect for you and it was a very wise choice to return to what you do best after last week, which I thoroughly believe was a big mistake on the part of the viewers, and not you. I do not expect it to happen again.”

Yuri smiled in relief at that as Morooka came over, giving his shoulders an encouraging squeeze. “Great job this week buddy, always love hearing you on the piano especially.” He then moved on to give Yuri's voting information, then to the segueway to the commercial break.

“Up next, Yuri's college roommate Phichit goes head to head with him on another piano and vocal performance, and Sara takes on the Mariah Carey version of an R&B classic, after the break. THIS... is Superstar Grand Prix!”

As the show cut to the commercial break Yuri sat down, feeling much better about this week's performance than last. He gave Phichit a handshake as he left to prepare for his performance, then as Yuri thought over the entirety of the last 8 minutes or so he had to laugh at something in particular.

“Why would they show me screwing up my lines?” he laughed. “I can't believe they did that, I looked so dumb!”

“No, you weren't dumb, you were 'hashtag relatable'!” Leo laughed. “I think they wanted to show a bit more than just your serious performance side because to be honest, that's all the viewers ever really get to see.”

Yuri blinked at that. “You think so? I don't know... I just try to focus so I don't get anxious. I didn't realize I came off as cold or anything like that.”

“I don't think you do,” said a voice from behind Yuri; he looked over his shoulder to see Victor down at the end of the top row. “But after last week, I think they wanted to endear you a bit more to the audience.”

Meanwhile, at the other end of the bottom row of chairs Yura was pep-talking Otabek, who was having more and more doubts about his performance; Victor then turned his attention to them, switching to Russian before Yuri could respond to what Victor had said. _Oh, okay, fine then._

The call for 30 seconds to air went out and everyone settled back in, with Morooka this time finding a spot in the pit of all places, surrounded by a group of fans who were clearly Phichit supporters.

“We met our next performer when he auditioned along with his college roommate, Yuri Katsuki, in Toronto after traveling with him from Detroit where they were attending university together. Let's learn a bit more about Thailand's own Phichit Chulanont.” The fans around Morooka waved their signs and cheered as the live feed cut to the video blurb.

_Cut to Phichit on the interview set_ “Hi! My name is Phichit Chulanont, and I'm from Bangkok, Thailand!” (grins into camera) _Cut to footage of Phichit walking on campus_ **Phichit, voiceover** “I graduated secondary school early in Thailand, and I wanted to go to university somewhere totally different so I moved away from home at 16 to go to school in Detroit, Michigan.” _Cut to footage of Yuri and Phichit jamming in one of the university rehearsal rooms_ **Phichit, voiceover:** “I got paired up with Yuri as a roommate and we spent our first year in the dorms, then we both got jobs and got an apartment of our own. We've been good friends pretty much since day one.” _Cut to footage of Phichit's “Defying Gravity” performance_ **Phichit, voiceover** “I majored in theater with a minor in vocal studies. I put my classes on hold for now until I see what happens!” _Cut to Phichit on the interview set_ “The song I've chosen for this week is the first song I ever learned on piano, “If I Ain't Got You” by Alicia Keys.” (grins into camera) _Cut to live shot of Phichit at piano._

The cameras zoomed in as Phichit began the intricate piano of the introduction, then began to sing the bluesy melody line of the first verse with a lazy smile over his face with a soft voice at first. As the song moved into the chorus, Phichit hit the first high notes and the crowd immediately erupted in cheers. He improvised a bit with a few runs on the abbreviated second verse and shorter change, then let loose with even more power in the reprise of the second verse as the backing singers joined in to harmonize with him. As he sailed into the final reprise of the chorus Phichit's voice opened out and he improvised even more, letting go with one run with a few insanely high notes before the song dropped down to the lazy ending notes. His fingers meandered over the piano as he improvised the last few words and ending with a flourish of the high piano notes and a final low bass key that rang out for a few moments before the crowd erupted in wild applause. Over at the chairs, Yuri had been standing less than a quarter of the way through the song and was cheering and fistpumping as Phichit nailed the song; Sara and Leo joined him soon after as well as Chris.

The crowd was still going insane as Phichit walked up to his mark at center stage, and joining them were Celestino and Minako who had been standing and applauding since the final notes of the song. When the “Quiet Please” screens went up they both sat down, but it was obvious that Minako was still charged up from the performance.

“Phichit!! Oh my god that was _amazing!_ ” she began with a grin. “That song is so iconic and you completely nailed it. I didn't know you had that smoky tone in your voice but it was so smooth and gorgeous. How old were you when you first learned this song?”

“I think I was maybe eight?” he said. “It was one of my mom's favorites and I would hear it around the house a lot, so it was the first song I ever picked up by ear.”

“Well I hope your mom is watching and is very proud right now because you knocked that out of the park,” Celestino continued. “I haven't heard many people do this song well but I have to say I think yours is the best version I've ever heard, hands down. You have a voice that can sing anything because your range is so broad. Fantastic performance.”

“I have said it before and I will say it again, you are a star,” Yakov said, causing the audience to erupt in cheers for a few moments. “That performance was better than many seasoned professionals' interpretations of this song. A very wise choice and very well done.”

Morooka was already on his way over as Yakov finished his critique, and shook Phichit's hand with a few complimentary words before giving out his voting information. “Excellent job tonight buddy, head on back to the chairs,” he added, with Phichit hurrying over to the side of the stage as Sara took her place at the side of the baby grand both Phichit and Yuri had just played, with Takeshi taking the seat at the keyboard while Morooka introduced Sara's video blurb.

_Cue Sara on interview set_ “Hi, my name is Sara Crispino and I am from just outside of Rome, Italy.” _Cut to Sara's audition_ **Sara, voiceover:** “I auditioned with my twin brother Michele in Rome. He had done more singing than me but he always said I had a good voice, so I went with him and we both got through.” _Cut to Sara on interview set_ (smiles) “He ended up not making it past Hollywood Week, but I did.” (grins, exaggerated shrug with upturned palms) “Oops?” (winks) _Cut to footage of Sara with Three Men and a Goddess in the Group Round Performance_ **Sara, voiceover** “I think one of my favorite parts so far was the group round. It was a lot of work but I found some of my best friends that way.” _Shot of Sara, Yuri, Phichit and Leo hugging when they were put through. Cut to footage of Sara's performances_ **Sara, voiceover** “I've really enjoyed taking chances with the songs I've been doing and this week is no exception.” _Cut to Sara on interview set_ “My song this week is Mariah Carey's cover of “I'll Be There” by the Jackson 5.” _Cut to live stage._

Takeshi began to play the piano part then with the backing singers leading in as Sara began to sing, beginning in a soft, pretty falsetto for the verse that gradually came down into her lower register. She sang the change that in the original version was sung by a male voice, then immediately went up to a high note on the word “let” which opened the second verse that brought a cheer from the crowd. The verse was a bit abbreviated as it went into the lines that were improvised in the melody line in the original, with Sara nailing several more high notes. With one more reprise of the change, the edit of the song went into the final chorus, which Sara went into her full belting range, adding in a few runs with extra high notes and then dropping down to her low range and falsetto for the ending, with a bit more improvisation and a soft run on the word “there” before joining the backing singers for the final few notes. Takeshi had been grinning from the first few lines, and over in the chairs Sara's cheering section of Phichit, Yuri, Leo and Mila were all on their feet and swaying along as well. She grinned as the crowd continued their ovation, the screams and cheers lingering until she stepped to center stage and the “Quiet Please” screens went up to calm them down.

“Sara!!” Minako yelled. “Oh my god I think this was your best performance yet! This cover by Mariah is so iconic, it basically kicked her career into high gear and she is so well known for this, it was a huge gamble to take it on. But with every performance you show us how much you've learned and grown and how much stronger your voice has become. I absolutely loved this, great job.”

“I gotta agree with Minako that this is your best performance yet,” Celestino said. “You've gained so much control over your voice since we first saw you in Rome, it's honestly very impressive. I love that you're not afraid to take on the big guns either. Excellent performance, totally on point.”

“Your voice is becoming more versatile with each performance. It is very impressive that you attempted those higher notes, as someone with even far more experience can have them go wrong. I have enjoyed seeing your confidence grow with each performance and each new level you reach. This was a very strong performance, very impressive,” Yakov finished.

Sara was grinning as Morooka walked over to her. “It's pretty gutsy to take on Mariah, but you nailed it,” he said. “Really nice job.” He read off her voting information then bid her to head back to the chairs as he previewed the final two performances of the night.

“Coming up after the break, Victor will take on a classic by Prince and JJ will show us his “moves”. THIS... is Superstar Grand Prix!”

As Sara returned to the chairs Mila jumped up and hugged her as Sara reached over JJ to return it, then turned to accept congratulations from Yuri, Phichit and Leo as well. Victor gave her a quick hug as he was called to get ready for his performance, jumping down off the top of the riser and jogging to center stage.

“Victor's performance should be interesting. He said he was holding back in dress rehearsal,” Leo said.

“Yeah, he only sang through about half the song. I guess it's hard to do because of the style,” Yura said.

“I didn't see it, I was back in wardrobe getting my pants taken in,” Yuri laughed. “They kinda almost fell off.”

“Oh trust me, Victor noticed,” Chris said, then immediately seemed to realize he wasn't supposed to say anything and went mum, at which Yuri blinked before his attention was turned back to the stage when the 30 seconds to live was called. The contestants settled into their seats as Victor waited at the darkened center stage for Morooka to introduce his video blurb.

“Our next performer was a YouTube sensation before auditioning in Moscow. He's become a fan favorite and one of our most accomplished performers. Let's take a look at Victor Nikiforov.”

_Cut to Victor on interview set_ (looks at camera) “My name is Victor Nikiforov and I am from St. Petersburg, Russia.” _Cut to footage from Victor of one of his YouTube performances_ **Victor, voiceover:** “I started my YouTube channel in 2010 just for fun at first. But it eventually got me a few singing jobs, one with a band in St. Petersburg.” _Footage of Victor performing with his band in a club_ **Victor, voiceover:** We did mostly covers but we wrote a few original songs, that were all in Russian. _Cut to footage of Victor's Showcase performance_ **Victor, voiceover** “I've gotten to do a lot of songs I've always wanted to perform on stage but haven't had the chance to. I am enjoying testing myself to see how far I can go.” _Cut to Victor on interview set_ “My song for this week is 'The Beautiful Ones' by Prince. It's rather difficult so I hope I can do it justice.” (grins into camera) _Cut to live stage shot._

The song began with an electronic drumbeat that led into a keyboard introduction during which Victor walked out onto the stage slowly in a very Prince-esque outfit of tight leather pants, pointed black boots, and a flowy, ruffled lavender shirt that was unbuttoned down to just above his navel. As Victor began to sing some cheers already came up from the crowd as he started in a falsetto, skillfully singing the entire verse and much of the change in the falsetto range before the melody dropped down a bit. He slipped back up effortlessly as the second verse went back up into the high notes.

_Baby, baby, baby_  
_Can't u stay with me tonight_  
_Oh baby, baby, baby_  
_Don't my kisses please u right_  
_U were so hard 2 find_  
_The beautiful ones, they hurt u everytime_

He looked directly into the camera during the spoken word interlude, causing the crowd to cheer more as his face was projected on the screens.

_Paint a perfect picture_  
_Bring 2 life a vision in one's mind_  
_The beautiful ones_  
_Always smash the picture_  
_Always, everytime_

Over in the chairs, Yuri watched the performance, taking in the lyrics he was very familiar with. He looked over at Phichit, who was biting his lip; he peered behind Yuri to see Chris, one hand covering his mouth as he watched the performance pensively. Phichit was about to look away when he caught Chris looking over to see Yuri's reaction, at which he quickly looked back to Victor, confirming to Phichit that the song was indeed for Yuri. He elected to say nothing of it though, as it seemed Yuri was possibly grasping it himself as one particular part in the lyrics came up:

_If I told u baby_  
_That I was in love with u_  
_Oh baby, baby, baby_  
_If we got married_  
_Would that be cool?_

_U make me so confused_  
_The beautiful ones_  
_U always seem 2 lose_  


Victor seemed to get more emotional as he sang the lyrics to the second verse, causing the crowd to erupt into screams as he went up into the sustained high note on the word “lose”. He began to growl in a rasp as he improvised, seeming very anguished as he continued the vocalizations until he began to replicate Prince's signature screeches that somehow still sounded musical as he dropped to his knees, causing the crowd to erupt even more until the band could barely be heard as the song ended. Victor remained at stage front, still on his knees with head bowed, gasping for air with the exertion of singing the entire song in the very difficult falsetto technique. He stayed that way for a few more moments, taking it in before rising to walk to the mark at center stage.

Over at the chairs, Yuri had felt the lump gather in his throat as he watched the ending of the performance, coming to the realization that there was definitely a conversation to be had with Victor at some point, sooner than later. He tucked the thought away for the moment as the focus shifted to the judges.

Celestino and Minako had been on their feet since the point where Victor had started the controlled screams toward the end of the song, and the crowd was still going insane even after the “Quiet Please” screens had gone up for a few more moments before calming down.

“I don't even know where to start with this,” Celestino said. “That is one hell of a song to take on, and so incredibly difficult to sing in a falsetto like that for even just a few lines, let alone an entire song. And those screams! I hope you're gonna do vocal rest after this buddy.” Victor smiled a bit and nodded, covering his mouth with his hand as if to keep himself from talking. “Fantastic performance, as usual.”

“I think they should have had you last, because I don't envy JJ's position right now,” Minako said, her eyes momentarily looking past Victor to where JJ was preparing to close the show with his performance behind the screen. “There aren't many people who can pull off what you did with this song, and to be honest I'm still in awe. The only thing I have to say is be careful with those screams, you don't want to do any injury to your vocal cords. This performance was phenomenal, but we've come to expect nothing less from you.”

“I think my fellow judges have said everything that needs to be said,” Yakov concluded. “You are in a class of your own in this competition. If the rest of the contestants were wise they would be considerably stepping up their own performances to keep up with you.”

Morooka walked over then, whimsically picking up the left shoulder of Victor's shirt, which had slid off his shoulder during the performance, and replacing it where it should be; Victor laughed at that, pretending to scramble to cover up the rest of the way. Morooka gave out Victor's voting information then sent him back to the chairs as he began the final introduction of the night.

“We have one performer left this evening, and he is the lone competitor from Canada to make it to the finals. Let's learn a bit more about Jean-Jacques Leroy.”

_Cut to JJ on interview set, speaking in French with English subtitles_ “Hello, my name is Jean-Jacques Leroy and I am from the Great White North, also known as Canada.” (grins into camera) _Cut to shot of JJ performing with his college theater troupe_ **JJ, voiceover:** “I majored in theater in college and also went to a music conservatory to study guitar, piano and voice.” _Cut to footage of JJ's audition_ **JJ, voiceover** I knew auditioning was going to give me the break I needed to get myself out there and so far it's been going really well.” _Cut to JJ on interview set_ “My song this week is 'Moves Like Jagger' by Maroon 5.” _Cut to live shot._

The song began with JJ doing the melodic whistle into the microphone before going into the vocal, dancing around the stage as he sang the first verses:

_Just shoot for the stars_ __  
_If it feels right_ __  
_And aim for my heart_ __  
_If you feel like_ __  
_And take me away and make it OK_ __  
_I swear I'll behave_ __  
  
_You wanted control_ __  
_So we waited_ __  
_I put on a show_ __  
_Now I make it_ __  
_You say I'm a kid_ __  
_My ego is big_ __  
_I don't give a shit_ _  
_ _And it goes like this_

Leo and Phichit both put a hand to their mouths at the lyrics in the second verse, stifling outright laughter; next to them Yuri sat with eyebrows raised and Yura rolled his eyes.

“I don't think he thought those lyrics through did he?” Phichit giggled into Leo's ear as JJ began the chorus of the song, setting Leo into another giggle fit.

JJ continued through the abbreviated second verse that then led into the second chorus, dancing around the stage as he sang and slapping and shaking hands in the pit. As he became more pumped he moved into some last-minute choreography he'd played around with after the dress rehearsal, unbeknownst to Emil who had helped him work on his presentation; after seeing Victor's performance, he felt he'd needed to add something to stand out. JJ utilized his falsetto quite well but continued to focus more on the dancing aspect, which caused his voice to waver in a few spots. He ended the song with one more final whistle of the 'riff' from the beginning of the song, grinning as the crowd broke into modest cheers and applause. He immediately felt that something had gone wrong by the response from the crowd and the demeanor of the judges and walked up to the mark on the stage with some apprehension, biting on his lower lip.

“Well... hm,” Celestino said. “First off, I'm not entirely sure this song is really R&B even with the guitar riff. And I dunno man... this was kind of all over the place. It doesn't look like you rehearsed much on whatever that choreography was.”

JJ felt his face burn hot. “I kind of just added it in...” he replied.

“You don't just try to improvise choreography like that,” Minako said. “You sang this very well but it would have been much better if you'd stuck to your original blocking that we saw in rehearsals. I think you could have knocked this out of the park if you had kept your focus, which is unfortunate.”

“You cannot change your plans just because of the other performances and what they did,” Yakov noted, his years of experience leading him to peg JJ for exactly what he'd done. “We have seen this from you before, as far back as the Group Round. You should stay with what you have worked on all week with those that are mentoring you to serve your performance better. You sang this reasonably well but the recording session I mentored with you was much better. It is unfortunate that you felt your voice alone wouldn't stand up.”

Morooka walked over then, giving JJ's shoulder a reassuring pat. “Did you have fun out here tonight JJ?” he asked, trying to highlight the good of the situation.

“I... kind of,” JJ said. “I just wanted to do a little something extra.” He shrugged, biting his lip again.

“Well there's never anything wrong with that. Good job,” Morooka said, then continued on to read off JJ's voting information. On Seung Gil's cue the rest of the contestants left their chairs and came forward to center stage as the weekly montage with highlights of their performances played with one last reiteration of the voting information. Once that concluded they all faced stage front with Morooka standing in front of them. Seung Gil signaled that they had an extra minute to fill, so Morooka thought quickly and turned his attention to the judges.

“Before we go tonight, judges, how are you feeling about tonight's performances?” Behind him just off camera, Seung Gil signaled that they each had 15 seconds.

“Performances of the night for me were Chris, Victor, and Mila,” Celestino said. “Great staging and great vocals.”

“We saw some risk taking tonight and I loved it,” Minako said. “Difficult vocals and difficult presentations. We need to kick it up a notch, keep it up!” she grinned.

“It is obvious who is most comfortable with their identities as artists and who are still finding it,” Yakov said. “I am pleased with those who showed tonight that they have reached that milestone.”

“All right,” Morooka nodded as Seung Gil signaled to wrap it up. “That's our show for tonight everyone. Tune in tomorrow for the results, where our musical guest will be Ed Sheeran. See you at 8 pm EST/ 0100 UTC. Until then... Morooka – out!

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The inspiration for Chris' performance this week is from the ending of [the ending of this video by Yanis Marshall](https://youtu.be/kc17H68IKMs?t=1m37s). I could totally see Chris doing something like this as a dancer :)
> 
> Once again, apologies for the off-my-usual-schedule update. Things should settle down after this weekend so I'm hoping to get back on track soon. This update is probably the longest I've done so far though so I hope that makes up for it a bit. :) I'm late replying to comments as well so sorry for that too!
> 
> As always thank you for reading, commenting and the kudos!


	10. Results - Week Three and Live Shows - Week Four

**Morning of Week Three Results Show**

“I don't how know how I fucked up so bad! The judges didn't seem to notice but Twitter is screaming about it and now I am seriously worried that I screwed myself. How did I forget??”

Mila had been stressing out since the contestants had gotten back to the mansion after the R&B/Hip-Hop Week live show and had made the mistake of reading the show's main hashtag, #SuperstarGrandPrix, on Twitter. Leo's fans were raging about the fact that while he had been called out for merely doing a song similar to what he'd done prior, Mila had, in fact, repeated an actual song in full. The only difference was that instead of the skeleton crew band that had been used during her Hollywood Week performance of Demi Lovato's “Sorry Not Sorry”, this time there had been a full band and backing singers, and she'd actually performed it far better than her previous attempt. The judges had either forgotten, or, as was the opinion of many of the show's fans, the producers were letting her slide because she was a “chosen one”.

It was the kind of backlash the contestants had begun to see the more they delved into the show's Twitter presence, which seemed to be the main social media outlet the fans had relied on despite other pages on Facebook and Tumblr meant for the multi-national following to gather. It had begun to put doubts and concerns even in the minds of the contestants themselves, which they'd all tried to push back. They'd already seen how erratic the viewers could be when Yuri had inexplicably been in the bottom three the previous week, but if the movement to get fans of Guang Hong to vote for Yuri was any indication, they were also quite calculated when it came to their favorites.

“The thing is though, there's no rule saying we _can't_ repeat a song,” Christophe pointed out. “It's usually frowned upon. But it's not like you just used it two weeks ago, it was back in Hollywood Week. So maybe that's why they let it go.”

“Seriously, it was what, two months ago now?” Phichit concurred. “Even that feels like a year ago with how crazy everything has been. I even forgot you did the song to be honest.”

“But I shouldn't have,” Mila pointed out. “I had another song in mind and changed it to this one at the last minute before I gave them my choice. Even then they didn't say anything, and none of the mentors said anything either. Now I'm getting ripped apart on Twitter and I seriously don't know what's going to happen.”

Leo walked around the long table the contestants shared for meals and wrapped his arms around her, which made her grin and giggle as he rocked her back and forth in her chair. “Miiiiiiimiiiiiii don't worrrrrryyy you'll be fiiiiiine!” he singsonged. “You kicked ass on that song even better than you did the first time and that's what matters the most. I don't think you should even say anything. If it gets mentioned, just be honest and say you seriously forgot you did it before. But like Chris said, there's no rule against it either.”

“Later on in the competition there's an option where we choose a song we've done previously too, to do a reprise of it,” Sara said. “So they can't really say shit to you.”

Yuri nodded as he finished up the last of his breakfast. “Good point. You didn't break any rules, Mila, so don't worry about it. I mean... I totally get why you're worried, I would be too. I'd be freaking out actually. But if you get voted off for it that's just stupid.”

Mila had calmed down considerably with the encouragement of her friends and Leo being even more obnoxious and threatening to sit on her lap, which she responded to by pulling him onto it and hugging him back.

“Okay okay okay,” she said, laughing as Leo pressed his cheek to hers and hugged her again. “I'll shut up now. I don't even know why I freaked out so badly about it, I mean you're all right that it's not against the rules.”

“Stress,” Yuri said. “The farther we get into the competition, the harder it's going to get to stay in. It's really easy to get wrapped up hardcore in this. I mean... been there done that?” he laughed softly.

“I wanted to cut bitches when you were in the bottom last week,” Sara said. “I still can't believe that. But stuff like that is why we get so worried for sure.”

Yura looked around the table then after Nikolai asked him something in Russian as he began to pick up the breakfast plates, to which Phichit responded by jumping up and helping.

“Where's Victor?” Yura asked. “He didn't come out for breakfast.”

“He's on vocal rest till the show tonight,” Otabek said. “So he wrote on his iPad to me that he's staying in his room so he doesn't talk because he has a big mouth.”

“Did he eat?” Yuri asked, to which Yura shook his head.

“Grandpa made him up a plate, I was gonna take it in to him,” Yura said as Nikolai picked up the plate off the warmer built into the stove.

Yuri rose then, taking his own plate and cup to the sink. “I'll take it up to him,” he said; he then took the plate from Nikolai and headed upstairs. Once he was out of sight, Mila giggled behind her hand.

“Those two are something else,” she said. “They need to just jump each other already.”

“I get the feeling it's a bit complicated for both of them,” Sara said. “Give it time.”

“Yeah... Yuri... isn't really good with relationships,” Phichit said, his tone careful.

“Has he had many?” Chris asked.

Phichit hesitated for a moment. “Not... not really.”

“Okay you need to spill,” Chris said. “Because the tension with these two is driving Victor nuts. He cannot figure Yuri out for the life of him.”

Phichit swallowed hard; he'd accidentally walked into territory he knew Yuri wouldn't be happy about him divulging. “I... I'm not going to barge in on Yuri's privacy. But let's just say he's not too experienced on the subject.”

“Well then, that explains _everything_ ,” Chris said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Because Mr. Sexaforov is the best actor on the planet, if you know what I mean.”

Pretty much the entire table turned to Chris then, and he found himself in Phichit's situation.

“So... you're saying Victor... is...?” Sara said.

“Now, that much I _don't_ know,” Chris said. “I just know he hasn't had a serious relationship yet. He hasn't really gotten into why.”

“Well then, this should be interesting,” Mila said. “They're basically trying to figure each other out at this point and clearly both of them suck at reading each other.”

“Maybe if both of them sucked, they'd figure it out,” Leo quipped, leading Mila to screech with laughter and shove him off of her lap with a playful slap to his shoulder.

“Well... I'm hoping they both figure it out soon,” Phichit said with a sigh. “Especially Yuri, if it's bothering Victor that much.”

“It will work itself out when it's meant to,” Sara said.

“There's more important things to worry about anyway,” JJ said from his end of the table; the others had somewhat forgotten he was there as he hadn't really joined in the conversation. “We're in a singing competition, not a dating game.”

“Who asked your basic ass anyway?” Yura snapped. “Just because you have a fucking lucky horseshoe shoved up it that keeps you here doesn't mean you can offer your wrong opinions when they're not asked for.”

JJ rose then, declining to engage with Yura and instead leaving the dining room altogether.

“Yura that was uncalled for,” Mila said.

“Seriously though, who asked him?” Yura replied. “I hope his ass gets the ax this week.”

Leo leaned in to murmur to Phichit as Mila bickered with Yura. “I hope so too,” Leo said to Phichit. “Or it might get really ugly around here pretty soon.”

 

 

 

Yuri found the door to Victor and Chris' room open so he stuck his head in, looking around to find Victor's bed made, but no one in the room. Yuri had a feeling he knew where Victor had gone and headed to the second floor terrace that could be accessed from the TV room with its floor-to-ceiling glass windows and sliding glass doors. As he walked into the room he could see Victor sitting at the table outside, tapping away on his laptop. Yuri had found that he and Victor were a lot more alike than they'd both realized at first; the Russian liked his moments of solitude within the storm just like Yuri did.

Yuri balanced the breakfast plate on one hand and slid open the door, noticing that Victor had his earbuds in when the other man didn't react. Not wanting to startle him Yuri rounded the table slowly until the movement caught Victor's eye and he looked up, a soft smile curling the corners of his mouth as he reached up to take out the earbuds.

“Nikolai made blini for everyone. I figured you wouldn't want to miss out,” Yuri said, placing the plate next to the laptop; Victor nodded his head in thanks and motioned for Yuri to sit, which he did. He then picked up the iPad he had at the ready with the Notes app open, iPen in hand to write down his words as he kept to Lilia's strict orders to not speak for 24 hours after “that dreadful screeching” that she forbid Victor to ever do again lest he damage his vocal cords.

 _Is Mila still stressed about the song?_ Victor wrote.

“I think we got her calmed down. Now we just have to keep Yura from killing JJ and we'll be good,” Yuri said.

 _I don't know what the problem is there,_ Victor continued. _I have stopped trying to figure Yura out._

Yuri sighed at that. “I think he's got a lot of issues to be honest. He actually has been talking to Leo more, and he said some stuff about more or less being raised by Nikolai because his mother works constantly and his father wasn't in the picture.” Victor nodded in response.

 _He mentioned that. Doesn't talk about it much. Sucks when you can't rely on family._ Victor's expression soured a bit then and he frowned, trying to conceal it by lifting the cover on his plate and taking a few forkfuls of blini.

“You okay?” Yuri asked him; he was almost a bit unnerved by the somewhat intense look in Victor's eyes as they met his.

_I have a lot on my mind. Trying to figure some things out._

Yuri suddenly felt rather uneasy; he hadn't seen Victor in a sour mood before and it was almost jarring. Rather than try to figure out more, he elected to rise.

“I'm... gonna go get my shower done before Phichit wants to hog our bathroom,” Yuri said, trying to steady his tone but hearing the slight shudder in it. He became confused then as Victor looked up at him with a questioning frown, then scribbled on his iPad again.

_What did I say now?_

“What? Nothing,” Yuri said, even more confused.

_I seem to be getting very good at making you uncomfortable. I'm sorry._

Yuri sighed hard then, sitting back down for the moment. “It's not you... I just... last week really fucked with me and I'm nervous about tonight now.”

_The show or what happened with us?_

“The show. Being in the bottom. It just brought home that everything can change in a second. You can do the best performance you've ever done in your life and it won't matter. A lot of these people aren't voting because of what we're doing here. They're voting because they want to screw another contestant over or because their favorite is cute or a “good Southern boy” or whatever. So yeah, it's kind of frustrating on top of the judges contradicting themselves from week to week. Do you think if it had been Otabek that repeated a song he'd have gotten away with it? I don't know... I'm just...”

 _Starting to question things. I know. Me too,_ Victor replied, switching to typing on the iPad in the Notes app. _All we can do is our best. This is ultimately a stepping stone. Even the person that wins will have to still work hard. No guarantees of stardom after the show, just getting to make a record. Then you're on your own._

Yuri sighed then. “Yeah... but...”

Victor angled his head questioningly in response.

“That's not what you meant, is it?” Yuri stated, and found it confirmed when Victor's eyes cast downward to his hands.

“I... I'm not good at this stuff,” Yuri said. “I've... never had an interest in anyone before. I just always focused on me. I'm still figuring myself out, let alone more than that.”

_Despite appearances, I'm not any better off._

Yuri blinked at that; Victor smirked as he erased the “page” and continued to type.

_I've had crushes, sure. But no one I let get very close. No one I trusted enough to do so. Messed around a bit, nothing more._

“Is there a reason you're so cautious?” Yuri asked carefully.

_The dance world in Russia is very brutal, or at least my corner of it was. Cutthroat. Backstabbing. Hard on the body and mind. It's why I got out and just teach now. People only care until they get what they want from you... or they don't get it._

Victor's expression turned into a mixture of sadness and possibly pain then, and Yuri thought better of asking more. After a few moments Victor continued, his typing getting faster with his emotions.

_When I turned 18, I found out through the grapevine what some of the other boys had been doing to get the good parts in our ballet company. I wanted no part of it. That wasn't how I wanted to make my way. I was about to move up to lead soloist but suddenly I was corps de ballet, then cut. My parents expected me to support them with my career so when that happened, they weren't happy. Then they told me if I quit ballet I had to find a wife and a job. When I told them why that didn't interest me either... I was on my own._

Victor sighed heavily then, resting his chin on his hand with a heavy sigh. After a moment he picked it up again, erasing the 'page' and typing:

_It's easier to type it out than say it aloud. I don't know where that came from, sorry to unload on you._

“No! Don't be sorry,” Yuri said, reaching over to lay a hand on Victor's forearm. “It... explains a lot about you actually.” Victor met Yuri's eyes then with a curious frown.

“Why you're so encouraging, so outgoing. Cheering everyone on even back in Hollywood Week,” Yuri noted.

Victor picked up the pen again. _I have always believed in being the person you wanted someone to be for you._

Yuri pulled his chair closer then, wrapping an arm around Victor's shoulders. “Well, you've done a great job... I don't think I'd have made it this far without your help.”

Victor's arm slipped around Yuri's shoulders in response then, giving one shoulder a squeeze with his hand. Yuri couldn't help but grin as he turned to meet Victor's eyes, which had softened back into their usual relaxed mood.

“I'll meet you where you are, if you do the same for me,” Yuri said.

Victor picked up his pen. _You have a deal_ , he wrote, then offered his hand for Yuri to shake, which he returned.

“So anyway,” Yuri said, reaching for the fork, “You gonna eat this or...?”

Victor grinned and snatched the fork from him; as he cut off a piece of blini he winked and mouthed the words “get your own” as Yuri laughed, playfully shoving out of Victor's embrace. The pair continued to keep company until Victor finished his breakfast, then headed inside to begin the day of the week that everyone in the house dreaded: elimination day.

 

 

 

**Results Show, Week Three**

As soon as the contestants arrived at the studio lot Lilia had pulled Victor into an extensive warmup session for his voice to ascertain if there had been any damage from the previous night. Victor had repeatedly assured her that he'd done such things before, though sparingly, and actually knew quite well how to do it without hurting himself. Despite this, she worked with him for the better part of an hour, bringing him out of vocal rest slowly with an extensive series of vocal exercises that eventually brought him back up to full speed. He'd only be singing one or two lines in the weekly group number, but she was determined to keep his “golden throat” safe and sound.

The last part of his warmup was with the other contestants as she led them in the mandatory vocal exercises. Even if they would only sing a line or two, it was a hard and fast rule that their voices needed to be prepared. Singing cold was something only a singer with decades of experience could pull off, she maintained, and she would make sure that all of the Superstars left the show having a decent knowledge of how to keep their biggest asset – and the one that was the most irreplaceable – from being injured. She was appalled at how many modern singers needed corrective surgery for their vocal cords and was determined that anyone under her tutelage never would.

Once the warmups were done they all headed out to the stage (with Victor a few minutes late due to his extra time with Lilia pushing his wardrobe and hair time back) to run through the blocking for the group number. Most of the time it was simple movements across the stage, but Emil always wanted to make sure everyone knew what direction they were going and who was being highlighted when. He also worked with Kieran extensively on the lighting for each week's performances to highlight everyone in their literal best light. After a total of four full runthroughs of the group number – more time spent than the actual two to three minutes give or take it was allotted each week – everyone headed back to the green room to settle in and wait for their least favorite part of the week.

“Quite honestly, I'm not sure who's going home,” Chris began as he poked at the fruit salad he'd gotten from the craft table. “Everyone was pretty good last night.”

Yura looked over to the craft table where JJ was talking a bit with Leo. “I can tell you who won't,” he growled.

“Okay, so I need to know what the problem is with him,” Victor said. “Has he done anything that has made you to angry with him?”

“His attitude. He thinks he's the shit when he's obnoxious as fuck and it's all ego. If you get past all the hype over his ass, he has a good voice but doesn't know what to do with it. And when people try to tell him, he either doesn't listen or listens till he decides his way is better. Sure, when I got here I didn't know shit, but I listened and upped my game. I learned things from everyone. Like Yakov has said, if you're difficult it's not going to help you move forward. I have no time for anyone who can't be bothered to fix what people keep telling him is broken,” Yura said.

“I honestly don't think it's all ego,” Yuri said, setting down his teacup. “He gets erratic and changes up stuff because of anxiety. I used to do that a lot myself until I realized going off script or off the set list or whatever, unless you're really good at improv, doesn't always work. Sometimes when he changes things to the way people tell him, he probably doesn't feel comfortable about it and switches last minute to what he knows. I really think he needs to get a handle on his confidence more than anything else. I mean... I can totally relate.”

“But you've gotten much better too,” Victor said to Yuri. “Last week notwithstanding, which, that would shake anyone's foundations to go through that. But you still build on even the bad things that happen. The sad part about JJ is that he has the talent... he just doesn't utilize it.”

“He reads what his fans are saying way too much,” Sara said. “He's always on Twitter and he's made the mistake of talking to a lot of them in direct messages. Even when his performances aren't the best, he listens to them before anyone else. He's letting himself get too wrapped up in all of this and I feel like it will catch up to him eventually.”

Phichit facepalmed then. “Oh god. Yeah someone needs to talk to him about that. Maybe Emil, he knows better than anyone about insane fan bases. Anastasis fans were batshit crazy.”

“Still are,” Yuri noted. “He's talked a bit about how some of the craziest fans still follow him around and apparently there's a group here that keeps getting into the shows hoping to see him even though he's not a performer. But I think JJ is gravitating to that because he needs the confidence boost.”

“Let him roll with it. Maybe he'll finally be gone and out of all our ways,” Yura snorted, at which Mila gave him a shove to the shoulder as she sat between him and Sara.

“Stuff like that isn't going to help him either,” Mila said. “But most of the time he's even hard to talk to. I just tried to a bit now. He started out by asking if I was okay after I was upset today and it ended up being about himself. It's just... off-putting.”

“It was a crap shoot as to whether or not we'd all get along, let's face it,” Victor said. “The two people he got along with the best have gone already so he's kind of lost. But he's just hard to get through to like Mila said.”

“Well, all we can do is focus on what we need to,” Mila said. “The rest will take care of itself one way or another.”

 

 

 

_Going live in 10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1 Cut to Morooka in the audience_

**Morooka (in the pit with assortment of fans):** Last night our Superstars took on some of the most well-known classics and some of the newest hits in R&B and Hip-Hop. We had some amazing performances that showed off some of the best talents of our remaining contestants. Tonight, we find out how you voted and who will be going home, and we'll also have a performance from multi-platinum singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran. Get ready everyone because THIS... is Superstar Grand Prix!

_Cut to “You Only Live Once” opening montage. Camera 1 follow Yakov's entrance. Camera 2 follow Celestino. Camera 3, Minako._

Backstage, behind the screen that the show opening montage was being projected on, the Superstars were assembling under Seung-Gil's direction, the band poised to begin the opening notes of the group number. As the judges took their seats and the opening song ended, they saw Seung Gil signal to Takeshi to go to the cold open and he counted off to start the band playing the opening notes of Michael McDonald's cover of the R&B classic, “Ain't No Mountain High Enough”, which Takeshi had chosen as the arrangement that worked the best for a group. The audience hadn't even calmed down from their cheering during the opening montage when their volume amped up more at seeing the screen rise and the Superstars walk out in their usual stage-spanning line, the intro extended an extra four bars before the contestants stopped at their marks at the front of the stage and the vocals began.

 **Chris:** Listen, baby  
**Phichit:** Ain't no mountain high  
**JJ** : Ain't no valley low  
**Yura:** Ain't no river wide enough, baby  


**Yuri:** If you need me, call me  
**Mila:** No matter where you are  
**Otabek:** No matter how far  
**Victor:** Just call my name  
**Sara:** I'll be there in a hurry **Leo:** you don't have to worry  


**All, in harmony:** 'Cause baby  
There ain't no mountain high enough  
Ain't no valley low enough  
Ain't no river wide enough  
To keep me from getting to you, babe  


The edited version of the song cut to the change in the middle, where the group split off into backing vocals and soloists as they spread out across the stage, with Emil having added in Victor and Chris walking out onto the catwalk that circled the judges' table, putting them out into the audience which set off another wave of screams.

 **Chris:** Oh no darlin'  


**Mila, Sara, Phichit, Yuri:** No wind, no rain  
Nor winter storm  
Can stop me baby  


**Victor:** Oh no baby 

**Yura, JJ, Otabek, Leo** 'Cause you are my goal  


**Chris:** If you're ever in trouble  
**Victor:** I'll be there on the double  
**Both:** Just send for me, 'cause baby  


**All, in harmony:** There ain't no mountain high enough  
Ain't no valley low enough  
Ain't no river wide enough  
To keep me from getting to you  


The group had begun to assemble back into the initial line across the stage during the chorus, and sang through one more reprise of it before the number ended to more cheers and screams from the audience as the show went to the first commercial break. Celestino and Minako were grinning from ear to ear and applauding, with Yakov his usual stoic self as they headed over to the chairs. The usual stage shuffle commenced, with the screen coming down for the setup of Ed Sheeran's equipment for his performance during the middle section of the half-hour show. Ten seconds to live was called and as if a switch had been flipped, all of the contestants immediately felt the unease creeping in as the time for eliminations began.

Morooka was center stage as the cameras focused in on him. “All right, we are back. Last night held many great performances and to be honest, this week it is a bit difficult to even try to guess who might be going home. But as it turns out there is some discussion going on about one of our contestants' songs, isn't that right Yakov?”

In the chairs, Mila's stomach clenched; Chris was sitting next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders as Sara on her other side slipped her hand into Mila's.

“Yes, there has been a lot of debate online about Mila's song, because she did it in Hollywood Week,” Yakov began. All of the contestants noted that it was unusual for Yakov to offer any commentary outside of critiques, and his tone seemed a bit irritated. “There is no rule that says a contestant cannot use a song again. Is it frowned on? Sometimes, if the contestant is using it as a crutch. Mila's performance showed growth and how far she has come in a short time.”

Mila had not been prepared for Morooka to come over to her with the microphone; Seung Gil had come up behind her and handed her one of her own. Victor watched from the end of the row, feeling a bit annoyed that they were putting her on the spot like this.

“Mila, did you choose the song for a specific reason?” Morooka asked.

She brought the microphone to her mouth after taking a deep breath. “No... I honestly forgot I had used it, since it was like two months ago and Hollywood Week was pretty crazy. I didn't remember till I saw everyone talking about it. I did have another in mind, but I was most comfortable with the one I used.”

Morooka turned after a nod to walk back over to the judges; Seung Gil came and took the mic from her, giving her a reassuring pat on the shoulder before heading back to the wings.

“So what's the final thought on this then?” Morooka asked Yakov.

“The bottom line is that no rules were broken. Every contestant is mentored and critiqued on an individual basis. Mila's performance was better than the first one of this song. It was not used as a security blanket where no progression was shown. As such there is no reason to call her on it,” Yakov said.

“It was a totally different situation the first time she performed it,” Celestino added. “If it had been a problem, she'd have been told by the producers. They would not have let her do the song if it was against the rules so she was disqualified,” he added, addressing another issue that had been hotly debated online.

“So I think that should lay it to rest,” Minako said. “Her performance was fantastic last night and that's the end of it.”

“All right then, there you have it,” Morooka said. “And with that, let's get to the eliminations. Kieran, dim the lights... and here we go. Mila, let's get you taken care of first.” She rose from her chair with an encouraging pat on the shoulder from Chris and a quick hug from Sara before stepping down from the top row and walking over to him. Seeing that she was nearly in tears – uncharacteristic for her – Morooka put an arm around her shoulders, giving the one under his hand a pat.

“You sang 'Sorry Not Sorry' by Demi Lovato. Celestino said it was an insane performance. Minako said she cannot believe how much you have grown in just a few weeks of live performances. And Yakov said you will be one of the biggest stars in music. The viewers voted, and Mila, you are safe.” He gave her shoulders another squeeze as she broke into a relieved smile before heading back to the chairs.

“Christophe, you're up,” Morooka said as the cheers for Mila continued a bit longer until Chris walked up to his mark next to the host. “You performed 'Crazy In Love' by Beyoncé. Minako said it was ridiculous. Celestino thought you sang it better than Beyoncé herself.” There was a murmur of laughter in the audience and Chris couldn't help but smile. “And Yakov said it was a most excellent performance from a very talented artist. The viewers have spoken, and Chris, you are safe. Head back to the chairs buddy. Phichit, please come forward.”

Phichit high-fived Chris as he returned to the chairs before making his way over to Morooka. “You sang 'If I Ain't Got You' by Alicia Keys. Minako said it was smooth and gorgeous. Celestino said your cover was the best he's ever heard, hands down. And Yakov said it was a very wise song choice and very well done. The viewers voted, and they... agreed with the judges. Phichit you are safe, head on back to the chairs. Yura, come on over.”

Yura extended a hand to low-five Phichit as they passed each other; Victor had to smile at the very subtle but telling sign that Yura was doing a bit of growing of his own as the teen stopped at his mark next to Morooka. “You performed Alien Ant Farm's version of 'Smooth Criminal' by Michael Jackson. Celestino said it was good but questioned if it was within the theme. Minako said it was smart to do something in your wheelhouse. Yakov felt you could have stretched yourself more, but that it was a solid performance. The viewers have spoken and... Yura, I'm sorry but you are in the bottom three tonight. Head over to center stage.”

The audience immediately erupted in boos and angry shouts; over at the chairs, all of the contestants' eyes were wide, with Victor, Yuri and Phichit's mouths hanging open in shock as Morooka called Leo up next. He took his place next to the host, clasping his hands behind his back nervously. “Leo, you sang 'Nothin' On You' by B.o.B. Featuring Bruno Mars. Celestino said the vocal wasn't especially challenging. Minako said it was a solid performance that you made sound deceptively simple. And Yakov felt a more difficult song in the same genre would have served you better. The viewers have spoken and... they agree with Yakov. I'm sorry Leo, you are in the bottom three, head over to center stage.”

Leo walked over to where Yura was standing, feeling the disappointment already beginning to weigh on him. He was too in shock to really register the fact that Yura reached out with one arm to give him a half-hug and pat on the back, which he dazedly returned as Morooka came over to stand with them.

“We have two of our bottom three for the night so far. We will be finding out who joins them in a bit, but first when we come back, Ed Sheeran will take the stage to perform his monster hit “Shape of You”. THIS... is Superstar Grand Prix!”

The show cut to commercial then and Leo and Yura were sent back to the chairs to sit out Ed Sheeran's performance. As they walked up all of the other contestants offered encouragement and expressed shock at how the bottom was playing out.

“I really didn't think you using that arrangement was such a problem,” Victor said, his tone annoyed. “How many times have we seen genre-twisting with songs on other shows?”

“I know right??” Phichit replied. “This is ridiculous. Both of you were so great last night.”

Otabek had an arm around Yura's shoulders. “Don't worry, I think both of you are fine. They always have to scare a couple of us.”

“You better be fine too,” Yura growled.

“This is the worst part,” Sara said. “I hate seeing anyone go home honestly.”

The thirty seconds to live call went up and the contestants settled down for Ed Sheeran's performance. Once that was completed, Morooka returned to his place near the contestants as Yura and Leo were sent back to center stage to await the rest of the results.

“Yuri, you're up buddy,” Morooka said; Phichit gave his friend's back a pat of reassurance before he headed over to stand next to the host. “You sang 'All of Me' by John Legend. Celestino said it was a great return to form. Minako said you have amazing control of your voice. And Yakov said it was an excellent performance. The viewers have spoken, and... they agree with the judges. Yuri, you are safe.” There was an enthusiastic, approving response from the audience as Yuri returned to his seat, with Sara heading over to Morooka next.

“Sara, you sang Mariah Carey's version of 'I'll Be There' by the Jackson 5. Minako said it was your best performance yet. Celestino loved that you're not afraid to take on the big guns when choosing songs. And Yakov said your voice is becoming more versatile with each performance. The viewers have spoken and they agree with our judges. Sara you are safe, head back to your seat love. Victor, you're up.” Victor hopped down from his seat and walked over to Morooka after giving Sara a quick hug when she returned to her chair.

“Victor, you performed 'The Beautiful Ones' by Prince. Celestino said it was a hell of a song to take on. Minako said she was in awe. And Yakov said you are in a class of your own. The viewers voted and Victor, you are safe. JJ and Otabek, come on over guys.”

Victor had realized at the same moment who the remaining two contestants were, and offered Otabek a pat on the shoulder as they passed each other on the stage. As he had done the week prior JJ ran ahead, leaving Otabek to walk up to Morooka on his own.

“Otabek, JJ, one of you is in the bottom two tonight. Let's review your performances. Otabek, you did “Kiss From A Rose” by Seal. Minako said she worried it wasn't enough. Celestino said he wasn't sure why you picked this song. Yakov said you need to take more risks to stand out, but that it was a good performance.” He then looked over to JJ. “JJ, you sang 'Moves Like Jagger' by Maroon 5. Celestino said it was all over the place. Minako said you could have knocked it out of the park if you'd kept your focus. And Yakov said it was unfortunate that you felt your voice wouldn't stand up.” Morooka paused then, the studio audience completely silent, the pulsing, anxiety-inducing music playing at a low level in the background, the five seconds feeling like an eternity. “The viewers have spoken and.... JJ...” He paused again, appearing to shake his head very slightly in reaction to what he was reading from his results card. “JJ, you are safe. Otabek, you are in the bottom three tonight, head over to the guys at center stage.”

More boos and angry shouts began in the audience; Leo couldn't help the wide-eyed look of surprise on his face while Yura was definitely angry, his own expression quite dark as the cameras focused on them for the millions of viewers around the world. Morooka walked over to them, looking over at the judges.

“So this is our bottom three this week. Judges, do you think this one is accurate?”

“Unfortunately I do,” Yakov said. “All three have valid reasons for being there this week, unlike last week.”

“I disagree, I really don't think Yura should be there,” Minako said. “He did a great performance, it shouldn't matter what version of the song he did.”

“When you boil it down, I have to agree with it,” Celestino said. “When you look at all the other performances, I think you would come to the same conclusion.”

“All right, official words from the judges,” Morooka said. “Who will be going home tonight? We will find out... after the break. THIS... is Superstar Grand Prix!”

The two minutes of commercial time felt like an eternity, and the audience was quite restless with some still booing and shouting their disapproval. At the chairs, Phichit was cringing at the thought of what might happen as JJ returned to his seat, sitting with hands folded, not looking up at anyone as the others talked amongst themselves.

“Things might get really ugly at the house depending on who goes home,” he murmured to Yuri. “I'm really not looking forward to it.”

“Oh god, I know,” Yuri said. “But I have a seriously bad feeling about it, unfortunately.” The signal for 15 seconds to live was put up and the show returned to the broadcast.

“So Otabek, Leo and Yura are our bottom three tonight. I know everyone is anxious for the results, so let's get to it.” Morooka turned to the three men then; Otabek was standing between Leo and Yura and had an arm around each of their shoulders.

“The viewers have spoken, and the first contestant that is safe tonight... is...” Morooka paused again, letting a few seconds tick by. “Yura. Head on back to the chairs buddy.” Yura said something to Otabek in Russian, turning his face away from the cameras to avoid his lips being read, before giving his friend one last pat on the shoulder and going back to his seat. Morooka then turned back to Leo and Otabek.

“The person... going home tonight is...” Morooka paused once more, drawing a few annoyed shouts from the the audience. “Otabek. Sorry my friend but it is the end of your journey.” Leo buried his face in his hands then, upset at Otabek leaving and relieved at the same time that he'd made it through to the next week.

Otabek turned and hugged Leo then. “I'm sorry,” Leo said. “I really don't think you should be going.”

“You know what? I'm okay with it. You did great last night. I think it's just my time to go,” Otabek said, a sincere soft smile on his face as he gave Leo one more pat on the back before the other man was directed to head back to the chairs. Morooka came over then, seeming a bit ambivalent about the results himself despite attempting to hide it.

“Otabek, we saw some great moments from you during your journey. Turn around and have a look at the screens,” he said, at which the studio dimmed and a montage of Otabek's time on the show was played. Emphasis was put on Russian Roulette's group round performance and Otabek's Showcase performance. The crowd applauded as the video finished and Seung Gil walked over to hand Otabek a microphone.

“Otabek is going to sing us out with his signature performance, “Where The Streets Have No Name” by U2. Join us next week when the Superstars will take on the music of The Beatles. Until then... Morooka – out!”

Otabek felt the emotions catching up to him then as the song began and he channeled them into his final performance, getting the audience out of their seats and bouncing along as he sang the fast-paced song, encouraging them all to clap along. Once he finished the other contestants joined him on the stage with Yura hugging him fiercely before the others engaged in a group hug... save for JJ, who kept a pace or two back, behind the group and out of the sight of the cameras. As the broadcast ended and the judges came up onto the stage to chat with the contestants as they did every week at show's end, JJ was the first to head back to the dressing rooms.

Phichit was standing just outside the group as everyone did their customary mingle, a weekly occurrence where the judges and those who had the most association with the contestants said their goodbyes to the contestant who had been voted off. After Seung Gil had chatted for a few moments with Otabek, he wandered his way over, casting a glance to the audience to see them just about all gone. He stopped about a pace away from Phichit, acting as if he were keeping tabs on the stage activity even though with the broadcast concluded, there was no real need to.

“You doing okay?” Seung Gil asked him.

Phichit looked over, smiling a bit sadly. “I'm trying to be impartial but... that wasn't who I would have chosen to go this week, to be honest.”

“So I've been hearing. Yuuto and Satsuki have mentioned seeing sparks fly with certain people when they are backstage and when they're accompanying you on the photo and video shoots. I guess it's going to get a bit more tense after tonight then,” Seung Gil noted.

“I mean... some of us can see why JJ is how he is, but... yeah, there's some personality clashes. But I think the fan backlash might be worse for him and I don't envy him that at all,” Phichit said. “I don't know. I don't dislike him it's just...” He sighed then, at a loss for words. “I guess it was too much to expect us all to get along, really. At least the house is big enough to put some distance between everyone when we need it.”

Seung Gil noticed the milling group on stage beginning to break up. “Well, hang in there. Hopefully it won't be too bad.” He gave Phichit's shoulder a pat. “See you next week, it should be a really good one.”

Phichit grinned at that. “Yes,” he replied. “I'm super excited about it, I can't wait.”

Seung Gil gave him one last smile after pausing to call out to everyone to take their leave of the stage. “Me either,” he replied. “I like watching you kick ass.”

Phichit grinned then, feeling the blush come over his face. “Well... thanks. I'll make sure I kick it double, just for you.” He punctuated his words with a flirty wink, which Seung Gil returned as he headed off to round up the rest of the stage crew.

 

 

 

“So yeah, I did finally get to confirm it earlier by talking a bit to Phichit. The contestants are not getting along with JJ at all, and I honestly can see why.”

Morooka and Seung Gil had met up in the backstage office area to discuss the week's two shows and the accompanying social media discourse. It had all been quite eventful and as the executive producer, Morooka was intensely interested in keeping tabs on it all.

“The kid has a lot of talent, but he's too worried about everything,” Morooka said. “We do have the on-staff psychologists for anyone dealing with a lot of stress due to the pressure. It's something that other shows of this nature also do. Maybe someone needs to nudge him to have a sit-down. I'd hate to see it cut his chances of going farther.”

“That's the thing. All I see online is a very devoted fan base for him, and obviously he keeps dodging bullets week after week despite his performances... which aren't bad, just... odd at times.”

“But that's what makes him relatable, just like Katsuki Yuri. The difference is Katsuki lays it down when it counts. I still don't understand why he was in the bottom last week.”

“I found that strange myself. The only thing I can think of is that the song he did wasn't as well known as some others. But yeah, he has absolutely no problem pulling through even though Yu and Satty have said they've seen him with some major nerves.”

“The discourse within the contestants is another thing entirely though. It's already kind of obvious from the body language going on that there's a divide.”

“Which is another thing that's making JJ's fans defend him that much more. But I'm already seeing Otabek's fans throwing their votes for next week toward Yura or Leo now. It's quite interesting to see the reactions. Whether it affects the outcome with so many people voting worldwide is hard to say.”

“But people are talking, week after week, which is what we want. And the more staunch the fan base, the better chance they'll have after the show's over. As messy as it gets, as long as they have fans, that will be what drives them when everything is said and done, for better or worse.”

 

 

 

**Superstar Mansion, Post-Results Show**

“This fucking sucks! Seriously! At least you didn't perform like you'd had five pots of coffee before you walked out! It's bullshit!”

Yura had been ranting more or less since the contestants had returned to the mansion, and even Nikolai was having a tough time calming him down. He was not happy at all with losing his best friend to elimination, and while on the surface it appeared to be just another of his temper tantrums, Victor especially knew better.

“He always talked about not having any real friends in Moscow,” Victor murmured to Leo, Yuri, Phichit and Chris as they sat in the dining room having dinner. “He connected with Otabek pretty much since we got here for Hollywood Week, so I get it. He's worried about losing that grounding.”

“He's got us though. I wish he'd just realize that,” Phichit said.

“I think he's starting to, to be honest,” Yuri said. “But yeah, if you have a hard time reaching out, losing that is scary, especially with someone his age.”

Leo was listening, but poking at his largely untouched dinner plate, sighing heavily.

“You all right there buddy?” Phichit asked.

“It just sucks. I mean... he keeps saying he's fine with it, but Otabek has so much potential. I feel like I should have gone instead.”

“No, none of the three who were in the bottom should have gone,” Mila said as she came in with Sara. “But I get the feeling the voting isn't just about performing anymore.”

“It's not, and we have no control over that. We just have to deal with it. We all knew that this would get harder every week and it's definitely starting to now. Soon even the best of us will be on the chopping block. Best to start wrapping our brains around it now,” Victor said.

Just then JJ came into the dining room, keeping his distance from the table as he went over to where the catered food was laid out. Making himself up a plate he took his leave just as quickly without saying a word to anyone; it was only after he was gone that Otabek and Yura came into the room.

“I hope you weren't too hard on him,” Mila said, her tone scolding.

“He got a piece of my mind,” Yura said as he sat down after grabbing a burger and fries from the catered food.

“I have been trying to tell Yura that it was just my time to go,” Otabek said as he sat down at the table. “Honestly, looking at the themes coming up, if it wasn't this week for me it would have been soon after. If I had to pick from the three of us, I'd have voted me off too. I think I'm better spinning the tunes than singing them,” he smiled. “This was something I gave a shot to to see if I could get myself out there and it worked. I don't know how far I expected to make it, but it's been a good ride.”

Victor was about to say something when he realized that Yuri, who had been sitting next to him, had gotten up and apparently left the room. He'd thought the other man was just getting some food, but a look around the room found him nowhere to be seen.

“Anyone see where Yuri went?” he asked, frowning curiously.

“No, I thought he was getting food,” Phichit said, turning around in his chair to look over at the table behind him. “But I can maybe guess where he is.”

 

 

 

“Hey... you okay?”

JJ looked up at the unexpected voice that came from the door of his room as he sat at the table by the terrace door, eating his dinner alone. He saw Yuri's head poking out from the doorframe, looking in from the hallway.

“Yeah... just... needed some space,” JJ replied sullenly.

Yuri was reluctant to enter the room without an invitation, so he stayed in his place in the hall while stepping over a couple of paces to lean on the doorframe. “Don't pay attention to Yura. He's just really upset because his closest friend is leaving. I don't think he knows how to deal with stuff like that too well.”

“He's pissed, I know. Everyone's pissed at me. I can't help it if I'm just lucky that I don't suck as much as I need to to get booted,” JJ said, staring out the terrace door as he toyed with his food.

Yuri felt uneasy, unsure how to respond. “I... well, I don't know that the eliminations always make sense to be honest.” He stopped himself then, realizing anything he said would probably come off very unlike how it was meant.

“All I know is I'm not giving up just because a few people don't like me. I came here to win and I'm going to do that,” JJ replied; Yuri blinked in response.

“Well I think everyone here would like to win,” Yuri replied. “No one expects anyone to give less than their best.”

JJ's phone rang then and he picked it up; Yuri could see from his vantage point at the door that Isabella's face was accompanying the ringing. JJ answered, effectively ending the conversation; Yuri quietly reached for the doorknob, pulling it closed to afford JJ his privacy as the other contestants had finished their meal and were making their way up to their rooms. He sighed and turned to head back down the hall to his and Phichit's room and found himself face to face with Otabek.

“No luck?” Otabek asked Yuri, motioning with his head toward JJ's door.

“Not really. At least I tried, I guess,” Yuri said. “What about you, you okay?”

Otabek smiled then, draping an arm around Yuri's shoulder. “I'm good. I think as much as everyone else here is enjoying it, maybe this isn't for me. I just got lucky to get as far as I did. It's still a lot more than anyone gets you know? I'll be fine. I'll just take over when Avicii retires,” he grinned.

Yuri grinned back. “Sounds like a plan. I'll be waiting to buy that first album you do.”

“You should be, because I think I'll have all of you sing on it for features. Instant album, right there!” Otabek laughed, causing Yuri to laugh too.

“I like the way you think!” Yuri grinned. “Sign me up!”

 

 

 

**One Week Later: Top 9 Performance Show – The Music of the Beatles**

**Dress Rehearsal with Performance Mentoring from Takeshi and Emil**

The day of the live performances was always long and exhausting, with the contestants rolling out of bed at 7 am to begin their day with breakfast and heading to the studio lot by 9 am. Once there, the outfits that they'd picked out from their weekly styling sessions with Georgi were given final nips and tucks, and Anya's makeup team would “put their faces on”. Wearing the outfits for the full dress rehearsal helped each of them to determine if they were comfortable, with Georgi often making last minute alterations via his three-person team that Yuri had come to call the Sewing Ninjas, which they had immediately quite happily adopted. There were always costuming mishaps, and more than once already in just the first few weeks a contestant had often had an article of clothing repaired during another contestant's performance while they were wearing it.

It wasn't mandatory for the judges to attend dress rehearsals, so very often they were never in attendance which was just as well, as the contestants almost never sang full-out to preserve their voices. The performances were also used for the benefit of the cameras, to follow the blocking for each performance and also to record the rehearsals. At times, if a good shot couldn't be found from the actual live performance to use at the show-ending montage where the voting information was reviewed, shots from the dress rehearsals with the vocal from the actual live show would be used. That part of the day was utilized for many reasons, but to the contestants themselves it very often felt like they'd done the show twice in one day, with the first having much less pressure imposed. It also gave the contestants a final chance to tweak the arrangements for their songs that they'd worked out with Takeshi and the band, and make any changes to the blocking and staging they'd created with Emil. The dress rehearsal ran in the order of the actual show, with a stand-in for Morooka reciting his lines from the same teleprompter that the host himself would use for reference later on that day. Once again the video blurbs that would be shown before each performance were “not ready yet”, with time blocked out for their display.

Phichit was first up, and as the band powered through his very engaging opening number Emil sat in Celestino's chair at the judges' table, giving the sound man tips on the mix as well as Kieran for the lights through his headset communicator. He was always pleased that Phichit usually stuck to what they'd worked out, and as such came up to the stage with a grin as the other's performance ended.

“I'm loving this song for you, I'm so glad you snagged it,” Emil said. “It's really a great show opener.”

“I was so hoping no one else would grab it,” Phichit said. “When we got the theme list I started telling everyone that song was mine!”

“Good call,” he said. “I think everyone's going to be pretty surprised with this one, it's a side of you we haven't really seen yet. I can't wait to hear you sing it through full out.”

“I just have to make sure I don't spazz,” Phichit said. “Only because I'm so excited.”

“I think you'll be fine,” Emil said, his head turning at Seung Gil's signal that the allotted time for Phichit's judges' critique was over. “Okay buddy, good luck and we'll see you later.” Phichit high-fived Emil as he headed over to the chairs, where the nine remaining contestants were sitting as they would be for the actual show save for Yura, who had gone to center stage to prepare as he would for the live show later on.

Yura's performance didn't involve much movement, as he was seated in the middle of a string quartet that was playing their part of the song at center stage. He'd chosen to sing at about 80 percent of his full level, but despite this the delivery on his chosen song, which Victor had helped him out with as he wasn't entirely familiar with the Beatles' music, was still quite affecting. Once he finished, Takeshi came over to him.

“So how did that feel?” Takeshi asked. “I think it comes across really well.”

“I feel kind of lost,” Yura said. “I don't know what to do with myself.”

“You can still emote from where you are. It's not really a song that warrants moving around much,” Takeshi replied.

“I had a different version that was actually rock but it was kinda too close in general to what I'd done the last couple of weeks. Victor said it wouldn't be a good idea to change it up again.”

“Nooooo, I definitely wouldn't,” Takeshi said. “Not after you got called on it last week. There will be more atmosphere when the audience is out there too. You know how it feels different, you'll more than likely pull out more emotions then. You're also watching your voice so that takes away from it too.”

Yura nodded as Seung Gil called time. “I hope so. Because if you're too low key you get booted like Otabek,” he growled as he left the stage.

After the “commercial break” it was JJ's turn to run through his song. His choice was a bit interesting to say the least, and he was already deviating a bit from the blocking and presentation he'd worked on with Emil. Once he finished, Emil walked over with his hand to his mouth in contemplation.

“I thought we said we weren't going to take this theatrical,” Emil said. “But even your wardrobe suggests otherwise.”

“Every time I practiced it I fell into this character type thing, so I've decided to go with it. It's different than what I've done so far and it's more 'me'. I need to start doing it JJ Style,” he said, his tone insistent.

Emil blinked at that then shook his head, slightly confused. “Okay... well... if it's what you're comfortable with I guess I won't argue. I just don't know how it will come across with the judges or the viewers to be honest.”

“I strive to be unique,” JJ said. “If I'm going to keep being safe, I might as well do something to warrant it so people can stop complaining.” Emil was about to respond to that when Seung Gil called time and JJ abruptly left the stage.

Emil was still a bit thrown as Leo sat down on the stool that was placed in front of the band, picking up his acoustic guitar as he waited for the allotted time for the video blurb to pass so he could begin. He collected himself as Leo began his song, walking over to stand on the catwalk around the judges' table to listen. Takeshi was playing a second acoustic with the band just behind Leo, and Emil noticed the curious frown on the band director's face, which mirrored his own thoughts. As Leo finished Emil walked over, his own face also drawn into a frown of concern.

“Hey buddy, you seem a bit off today,” Emil said. “What's up?”

“Well first off I woke up with a cold yesterday,” Leo said. “I've been trying to keep away from everyone so the whole house doesn't get sick. I lost my voice yesterday too so I couldn't practice. And I don't know this song or any of the Beatles' music very well so I'm not feeling too good about this whole thing.”

Emil was really concerned now, and Takeshi's expression had turned sympathetic. Leo was not having a good start to his competition day.

“Well the song isn't too hard vocally, it's more in the expression. If you can find something within it to hold onto and identify with, you'll probably be okay. As for the rest, we can probably look into getting you something for the cold if you need it. I've got some Throat Coat tea you can try, it works wonders. It's saved my voice more than once.”

“That sounds really good,” Leo said, far from his usual cheery, optimistic self. “I'll take all the help I can get.”

Once the “commercial break” had ended it was time for Mila's runthrough. She'd chosen a song that was quite perfect for her, and as per usual she'd knocked it out of the park. She'd decided to return to her primary rocker persona that week, and Emil was definitely approving along with Takeshi.

“The thing I like most about this is that it's a cover, but it's not too far off from the original,” Takeshi said. “It's got just enough of a kick that it works better for you.”

“Did you try the original first?” Emil asked her.

“Yeah we did, and I was having a hard time. So then Takeshi suggested this and it felt a lot better. And it's not a song I've done before,” she laughed.

Emil laughed in response to that. “It's interesting how just a couple tweaks or a slightly different take on something can make all the difference. I think you've got another winner with this one for sure,” Emil said as Seung Gil called time.

Yuri settled onto the same stool that Leo had used, his acoustic guitar in hand as the space for his video blurb was blocked out, and he then began to play the somewhat intricate acoustic guitar part to the song he'd chosen. Even though it was just a runthrough, as he performed it there was a definite atmosphere forming on the stage, the emotion in his voice speaking of the song's meaning to him. There were a few moments of silence before Emil was able to speak and Takeshi applauded.

“Man... I have a feeling this is going to be another moment for you,” Emil said. “Gorgeous guitar playing, and your voice is sublime. Your tone has really evolved since Hollywood Week.”

Yuri blushed at that, smiling shyly. “Thank you... this is one of my favorite songs actually. I took a modern music history course in school and when we did the unit on their music I was really drawn to this for a few reasons.”

“It shows,” Takeshi agreed. “Really great song choice. I can't wait to see you knock this one out of the park.”

Seung Gil called time and Sara had begun walking over for her performance, playfully pretending to shove Yuri off the stool as she would be using it for her performance as well. She then gave Yuri a hug before he headed back over to the chairs.

Sara's song was already an interesting choice, but the fact that she'd declined to modify the pronouns in the song was even more striking. She sang it beautifully, with a sensitive tone that portrayed the emotion quite well. The same atmosphere Yuri had brought to the stage enveloped it for Sara's song as well, and when she was done even a few of the crew members applauded.

“This is a seriously bold choice for you, but I'm loving it because of that,” Takeshi said. “It's obvious this performance is going to be for someone special.”

Sara smiled at that. “Yes, it definitely is,” she confirmed. “But I've always loved this song to begin with, and getting to sing it is really special to me too.”

“That definitely comes across,” Emil said. “I'm really interested in seeing how this all plays out. It will definitely make a statement but I like that about it too.”

During the “commercial break” the baby grand piano was rolled out onstage for the final two performers, Victor and Chris, to both use for their songs. Victor came over to it first, adjusting the microphone height as the time ran for his video blurb. He then began to play, singing the song fully as it wasn't a difficult vocal, but one more put forth through the emotions used. It was obvious that the song meant a lot to him, and by the end of it the feeling in the air was quite poignant. He let the final piano notes ring out and seemed immersed in thought, staring down at his hands to the point where Emil was nearly loathe to break the moment.

“Hey Victor, you okay there?” Emil asked gently; in response Victor blinked out of whatever was in his mind.

“Yeah... I'm okay. Just... a little pensive, I guess,” Victor replied.

“Well this is going to be a heartbreaker of a performance for a couple of reasons. Whatever emotions you're channeling, they're working,” Emil noted.

“Good,” Victor said. “I'm glad the message is getting across, even if who it's for won't listen.” Both Takeshi and Emil blinked at that, both startled to see Victor in a seemingly raw state as he rose to leave the piano to Chris as Seung Gil called time.

Chris was the final performer and he began his song at the piano as well, though his choice was much more upbeat. Originally he'd planned to stay there for the whole song, but when Emil had found out the running order of the performers he'd suggested a last minute change. As such Takeshi took over the piano as Chris stood up for the big finish, canvassing the stage and visualizing the audience responding to his efforts at engagement. Emil watched approvingly, with Takeshi giving him a nod of agreement on the change as the song ended.

“Did that feel okay?” Emil asked Chris, though he could tell by the other man's smile what the answer would be.

“Yes, I think it's going to be great. It will be a nice rebound from the tone of Victor's piece I think,” Chris said.

“You both picked pretty iconic songs from the Beatles' catalog, and they're polar opposites as far as mood,” Takeshi said. “But I agree, I like the balance. I think it's a good way to end the show.”

“All right then, I'll stay with it,” Chris said. “I'm pretty excited about tonight, I think it's going to be really good.”

“Man I've been stoked about this one since I first heard about it. I can't wait to see all of you pull this one off,” Takeshi grinned.

As the contestants took their leave of the stage to go back to hair and wardrobe for final touchups, the stagehands began to prepare the stage for the actual show. Takeshi and Emil took five on the band platform as they looked over the running order and song choices once more on their respective iPads.

“I think Phichit, Mila, Yuri, Victor and Christophe will be locked in for safe this week,” Emil said. “Yura and Sara are taking risks both stylistic and content-wise. Leo... I'm worried about him, he's not having a good week. And...”

“JJ is going JJ Style and ignoring everyone's suggestions again,” Takeshi said. “He's being super adamant this week and no one could change his mind.”

“Well... if he wants to go that route, then that's on him. We can't say we haven't tried,” Emil said. “If that's his niche, then I guess he just needs to work with it.”

Takeshi smirked then as the pair headed backstage while the crew came over to assemble the risers to their pre-performance show intro positions. “Fine with me, but I can't wait to see the judge's faces on this one,” he laughed. “To each his own but...”

“I know,” Emil said. “I don't like to be critical but he's getting a reputation for being a bit difficult. It won't bode well for him down the line. Hopefully once he gets this week out of his system, he'll figure it out for himself.”

 

 

 

_Going to cold open montage in 5... 4... 3... 2... 1... rolling!_

**Morooka (voiceover):** They are one of the most legendary bands in music history. _Vintage scenes of the Beatles performing_ The iconic songwriting team of Lennon and McCartney have given us some of the most recognizable songs known to man _Montage of Beatles' greatest hits with more performance footage_ This week, our Superstars take on some of the most famous songs in the world. Hold onto your seats folks, it's going to be an amazing night. THIS... is Superstar Grand Prix! _Cut to “You Only Live Once” opening montage. Cameras 1, 2 and 3 on the judges' and Morooka's entrance. Places in 5... 4... 3... 2... 1... cut to Morooka center stage._

“Welcome back everyone! You're watching Superstar Grand Prix. My name is Hisashi Morooka, and I'll be your host for the evening. Tonight, we have a really great show planned for you, with the Superstars taking on the iconic music of the Beatles. Needless to say, our judges are quite excited for this week, so let's say hello to them now. _Cut to Celestino_ Classic rock legend Celestino Cialdini ! _Cut to Minako_ The multi-talented, multi-platinum recording artist and choreographer Minako Okukawa! _Cut to Yakov_ And a man who is perhaps responsible for a very large part of the music that has been the soundtrack to many lives over the last three decades, Yakov Feltsman!” Morooka waited for the cheers to settle down before moving to the next part of his opening.

“And of course, the most important part of the show, our Superstars!” He turned toward the screen as it rose, the crowd erupting as they recognized the backlit silhouettes walking forward before the stage lights even came up; the cameras cut to each contestant in turn as Morooka announced their names. “Phichit Chulanont! Yura Plisetsky! JJ Leroy! Leo de la Iglesia! Mila Babicheva! Yuri Katsuki! Sara Crispino! Victor Nikiforov! And Chris Giacometti!” The contestants made the rounds of the stage then, this time taking to the catwalk behind the judges' table to slap some of the hands in the back of the pit where they didn't usually go, a change Emil had made to switch things up. At Seung Gil's cue they returned to the stage to head to their chairs, with Mila, Sara, Yura, Leo and JJ in the bottom row and Chris, Victor, Yuri and Phichit in the top row.

“All right ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, let's get right to it,” Morooka began. “Our first performer has become a fan favorite over the course of the show's run so far. He's quite versatile and we'll be seeing a different side of him tonight. Let's learn a bit about Phichit Chulanont.” The lights dimmed and the screen at the back of the stage, along with the screens on the sides, lit up with the first video blurb of the night.

 _Shot of Phichit on the interview set, looking a bit confused:_ “Wait what was the question? (laughs) Sorry I haven't had coffee yet! (laughter from the crew) _Cut to second take_ “Something no one would know about me is that I am obsessed with hamsters. I have five of them back in Detroit and I really miss them a lot.” _Shot of Phichit in his and Yuri's apartment with five hamsters crawling over his shoulders and head_ **Phichit, voiceover:** “I don't even remember how it got started, I just always have loved them. They have such funny little personalities.” _Shot of Phichit putting one on top of Yuri's head, with Yuri's exaggerated eyeroll._ **Yuri, into the camera, pointing to the hamster** “This happens at least once a day.” _Phichit, on interview set_ “I didn't know we'd have such a huge house here in LA, I would have brought them with me!” (laughs) “It's okay, I'll survive.” (fake sobbing, then laughs) _Cut to live shot of Morooka._

“Performing “Revolution”, here is Phichit!” Morooka introduced, turning toward the band which started with the beginning distorted guitar riff that, as the lights came up, was revealed to be played by Phichit with a white Les Paul guitar. He let loose with the trademark scream that opened the song and began to sing, playing the guitar as the song went on. The crowd was already on their feet, clapping along and cheering, though some of the youngest members of the audience didn't seem to recognize it. The short guitar solo was clipped out and instead the arrangement went into the final verse and chorus, with Phichit improvising on the guitar as he sang. Over in the chairs Yuri noticed Phichit seeming a tiny bit stiff, more so than usual; the electric guitar wasn't common for him and somehow his usually unflappable friend had seemed to succumb to a bit of nerves. It didn't seem to be very noticeable though as Phichit hit the last power chord, holding the guitar up vertically with one hand, spinning on one foot to end facing the crowd which erupted in deafening screams and cheers. Phichit handed the guitar over to Takeshi and walked up to the mark at center stage, even looking the part in chunky-heeled tan boots, ripped jeans, and a vintage patchwork shirt with fringe hanging from the shoulders.

“Phiiiichiiiiiitttt!” Celestino yelled as the crowd finally settled down. “When I saw you were doing this song I honestly wasn't sure how it was going to go but man you nailed it! I really loved this for you and you delivered it perfectly. Just enough sass, just enough rock star posing, you had it all here, loved it!”

“I seriously am thinking there isn't anything you can't pull off at this point,” Minako continued. “You had a really great rock star vibe going here, and you look the part as well. I sensed a little bit of nerves though which isn't usually the case for you, what was up there?”

“There was a little glitch just before we started and I couldn't hear the guitar in my earpiece,” Phichit revealed, “so I hope I was in tune! We didn't have time to fix it before we started so I had to rely on the floor monitor.”

Celestino nodded in acknowledgment and leaned in to add, “You covered that pretty well. I did see that there seemed to be something up but you did great. Mark of a professional there.”

“Definitely,” Yakov agreed. “You handled that very well and you still gave a great performance. You understand how to carry yourself on stage no matter what the circumstances.”

Morooka came over then to commend Phichit and to recite his voting information before sending him back to the chairs. He then turned back to the camera to move on to the next introduction.

“Our next performer is the youngest member of the Superstars, but his performances stand up to any seasoned veteran. Let's learn a bit more about Yura Plisetsky.”

 _Shot of Yura on the interview set_ “Something no one would know about me...” (pauses, looks into camera) “(censor beep) F**k if I know!” (crew laughter in the background) _Shot of Yura in a Los Angeles ice rink_ “I actually tried figure skating for a while, I started when I was six. I kept going till I was 14, but unfortunately I didn't do well enough and my mother couldn't afford to keep me in it. So I had to quit. I made it all the way to Juniors.” _shot of Yura doing a triple toe loop_ , _then back to the interview set_ “I think I'd have stayed with it if we could have afforded it, but there is a lot of competition in Russia as well and if you can't keep up, it's not worth it. I was also studying music, so I focused on that when I had to move on.” (looks into the camera with a grin) “Obviously, it was a good choice.” _Cut to shot of Morooka at stage left._

“Performing “Eleanor Rigby”, here is Yura Plisetsky,” Morooka said, turning toward center stage as the song began with Yura and the backing singers beginning cold with the string quartet surrounding him. As he continued to sing he started to immerse himself into the words a bit, identifying a little with the loneliness of the song and his voice becoming more passionate as a result. As he sang the final verse about the titular woman's death, something about it seemed to strike him and he closed his eyes, hands coming up to emote a bit for the final verse and chorus of the song before it came to an end with a last drawn out note from the string quartet. The response was quite favorable but a bit muted compared to his usual performances and he rose, his face bearing an uncertain expression as he took his mark at center stage.

“I liked this song for you,” Yakov began. “The last few weeks we have seen you do things that belie how much talent you actually have. Tonight we have seen that there is a good voice beneath the showmanship. I think it is difficult for most people your age to identify with the Beatles' music, but I think you found something to work with and did it well.”

“This was a really nice performance,” Minako said. “I liked that we got to see a bit of your personality in this. I think you could have even injected more of it into it since the song is rather angsty, and I saw you catch onto that toward the end. Nice job.”

“I like that you did attempt to stretch yourself and do something with a bit more nuance. If you try something like this again I think you need to get a bit deeper into the song because the emotions were there, I just don't think you knew what to do when you weren't jumping around with a guitar. But that will come in time. Good job,” Celestino concluded.

Morooka walked over to Yura then, who still seemed rather uncertain about his performance; he gave Yura's shoulder a pat of reassurance in response as he recited the voting information, then sent him back to the chairs before turning to face the cameras.

“After the break, JJ asks a very important question, and Leo takes on an early Beatles hit, so stay tuned. THIS... is Superstar Grand Prix!”

Yura sat down as the show went to break, with JJ already having sprinted off to prep for his performance. Victor reached down and gave his shoulder a pat when he saw the sullen look on the teen's face.

“The most important thing is that you tried it out, and it went well. You sounded really good,” Victor said.

“I guess,” Yura sighed. “I just hope it was enough.”

Mila had temporarily changed seats with Sara and reached in to drape an arm around his shoulders, giving them a squeeze of encouragement. “You have to stop worrying so much about getting eliminated and just perform. The rest will take care of itself,” she added. Seung Gil then called 30 seconds to live, and she and Sara switched seats again as everyone settled in for the next performance.

“All right, we are back,” Morooka said into the camera. “Our next contestant has done some rather unique performances so far, and this week will be no exception. Let's take a look at Jean-Jacques Leroy.”

 _Shot of JJ on interview set_ “There's a lot people don't know about me, because I'm an international man of mystery.” (grins into camera) _Shot of JJ at a tattoo parlor in Toronto_ **JJ, voiceover:** “Something people don't know about me is that I have several tattoos. I love having reminders of important parts of my life on my body.” _Shot of JJ's bare back showing his lower back tattoo; cut back to interview set_ “Another thing is that I model. I've been in pretty much every department store in Canada's advertising since I was a kid.” _Quick shots of a few of his modeling shots; cut back to interview set_ “But no matter what I do, I do it with...” _makes a pair of Js with his fingers_ “JJ Style!!!” (grins into the camera) _cut to Morooka at stage right._

Morooka was turning back from the video screen to the cameras as the shot zoomed in on him. “Performing 'When I'm Sixty-Four”, here is JJ.”

As the intro to the whimsical song began JJ walked out with an odd shuffle, seeming to go into character as an older person as he began to sing. Over at the chairs, as JJ continued through the song, affecting a bit of a British accent and a somewhat Charlie Chaplin-esque persona, Phichit buried his face in Yuri's shoulder in a valiant attempt to not burst out laughing; Yuri covered his own mouth to do the same. JJ sang the song with a definite character that was not his own, his wardrobe even reflecting the persona somewhat. He held the melody line quite well and injected it with the whimsy needed to put the song forth properly, but as Victor looked out at the audience from his chairs he saw a lot of giggling mixed with confused frowns. As the song finished the response was tepid at best, and JJ's face immediately turned anxious. Yuri watched him as he took his mark at center stage, then looked over to the judges, who did not seem to be impressed at all.

“JJ... I... I don't know what you were trying to do here, but this was just... a bit odd,” Minako said, attempting to be tactful as she spoke. “You sounded good, and you portrayed the song in the spirit it was recorded in... but I don't think you needed the theatrics to do it.”

“Yeah man, I feel like it took away from your performance,” Celestino said. “I think you could have sung this without the presentation and still put the attitude of it across with your vocal. Once again you're relying on other stuff instead of the voice we all know you have.”

“A different song choice would have served you much better,” Yakov said. “You were advised to not take this direction, but you chose to. If your vocals are passed over, we will know why.”

The studio was rather subdued then as Morooka walked up to JJ, who actually stepped a pace away from him when he tried to extend a hand for a reassuring shake. Nonplussed, Morooka went into the reciting of the voting information, then sent JJ back to the chairs as he moved on into the next video introduction.

“Our next Superstar is another versatile performer who has his own definitive style,” he began. “Let's learn a little more now about Leo de la Iglesia.”

 _Shot of Leo on the interview set_ “Something people wouldn't know about me is that, well, being from Texas, I can ride a horse!” _Video provided by Leo of him competing in a rodeo, doing a horse obstacle course relay_ **Leo, voiceover:** “I did it for a few years, but I got injured when I fell off my horse and was out of school for a while with a broken arm. So my Mom told me I couldn't do it anymore. To be honest I didn't want to because I missed being able to play guitar.” _Cut back to interview set_ “That was actually when I realized how much I wanted to be a musician. I kind of took the guitar for granted before that, but when I couldn't play that or piano for a long time, I missed it too much. So I started singing while I couldn't play, and it was all downhill from there.” (grins into camera) _Cut to Morooka at judges' table._

“Singing 'You've Got to Hide Your Love Away', let's hear it for Leo,” Morooka said, gesturing with his hand for the crowd to cheer as he began to play. From the moment he began to sing however, his fellow contestants all began to immediately feel for him. His voice was thick and nasal with the full-on cold he'd come down with, the usual control he had over it erratic. Things grew worse when as he moved into the second verse, his exhausted and stressed out state caught up with him and he momentarily forgot the words, mumbling through the second line and part of the third. Yuri looked over to the judges and saw Minako's face clearly concerned, and Celestino resting his chin on his folded hands, obviously feeling for Leo as well. Yakov was stoic and unreadable as always. Leo continued to struggle through the end of the song, playing the guitar with more enthusiasm to try to bolster himself up, but clearly relieved when it was over. He walked to the mark at center stage with his head bowed, clasping his hands behind him as he raised his head to hear his critique.

“Well... aw man. This is rough,” Celestino began. “Under normal circumstances, you'd have been right in your pocket with this song. But you're obviously fighting through a cold, which is never easy to do. And unfortunately, mid and lower ranges are harder to sing through than the higher belting range, ironically. I can say that you did the best you could, I just wish you'd been at full power here because this was a perfect song for you.”

“It's always difficult to perform when you're like this but the show must go on,” Minako said. “I agree with Celestino, you did the best you could and even though your voice isn't up to its usual standards, I still really liked this. Your studio track is really lovely and I hope people buy it and give it a listen to hear this song done to your full potential.”

“I know you have struggled this week, but you remained professional and gave the best performance you were able to. For that I will still commend you, because we know you can do better when you are well. I agree with Minako, your studio track is quite good, so we know you would have done much better on this if you could have.”

Morooka came over and put an arm around Leo's shoulders as the younger man seemed on the verge of tears. “Rough week, I know, but I really did like this performance regardless. How about you out there?” he called out, encouraging the audience into a supportive round of cheers before reciting Leo's voting information and then sending him back to the chairs.

“When we come back, Mila performs one of the most recognizable Beatles songs, Yuri will give us some more of his prowess on the acoustic guitar and Sara will sing one of their early classic hits. THIS... is Superstar Grand Prix!”

As the show went to the longer middle of the broadcast break Leo buried his face in his hands, losing his fight to keep a few tears from flowing. Sara had switched places with Yura for the moment and had wrapped her arms around him in a consoling hug as Yuri and Phichit reached down to lay a hand on his shoulder and back respectively. Yura, also in the top row, glanced past Sara and Leo to where JJ was sitting at the end of the row, looking absently out into the crowd, some of whom seemed concerned for Leo; he thought better of saying anything as Seung Gil came over to check on Leo as well, handing him a travel package of tissues to keep with him for his nose and a few cough drops for his throat. Leo managed to settle down as the show prepared to go live once again, with Mila unable to offer her own condolences beyond a quick hug as she was next up to perform.

“And we are back,” Morooka said into the camera. “Our next performer has been pretty consistent since Hollywood Week, and as such she's become a fan favorite. Let's learn a little bit about Mila.” He turned to the screen behind him as the video short began to play.

 _Shot of Mila on the interview set_ “Something people wouldn't know about me is that I speak four languages. Russian, English, French, and some Spanish.” _Cut to shot of Mila conversing with Chris backstage in fluent French, some Russian with Victor, then with Leo in Spanish, giggling as she stumbles a bit on a word; cut back to Mila on interview set_ “With everyone that's here I've been starting to learn a few words in Japanese and Italian as well. I think those will be my next ones that I'll learn. If I'm going to travel all over the world, I have to be able to speak to people, right?” (smiles and winks into the camera) _Cut to live shot of Morooka in the pit with fans._

“Performing Aerosmith's classic cover of “Come Together”, give it up for Mila!”, Morooka said as he turned toward the stage.

The song began with Mila doing the “shhh” sounds into the microphone then she went into the verse, returning to her authoritative, sexy presence on stage as she sang, a bit of a rasp in her voice in the range she was singing in. After the first two verses and choruses, the edited version of the song went into a clipped guitar solo, which Takeshi came forward onto the stage to play as Mila rocked out next to him. She went into the final verse and chorus holding the microphone between her and Takeshi so he could sing the backing vocal with her before the song ended with the final reprise of the “come together, right now, over me” line, with the last two words a capella as she glared intensely into the camera with a sexy smirk. The audience erupted into their usual cheers and shouts for her as she walked up to the mark on the stage, blowing a few kisses and mouthing the word “thank you” a few times before they settled down.

“Mila!” Minako cried. “This was a return to what you do best and I really loved it. You've shown us some different things in the last couple of weeks so it's nice to see you do this iconic song justice. Aerosmith's cover isn't really too far from the original but it has just enough of the bite that works for you. Nice job.”

“I think it was a good call to use the Aerosmith version, because it obviously fits your vibe,” Celestino said. “I just worry that you're kind of stuck in this bluesy/rocker chick thing and I really don't want that to affect you going forward. But nonetheless it was a really good performance.”

“I disagree,” Yakov said. “You have shown us enough versatility so far that tells us you are more than just this. I do not think you will be stuck in a mold per se. This was a very good performance, but next week I think you should look into something more surprising, if the opportunity presents itself.” Mila nodded in acknowledgment of the advice and a soft 'spasibo' into the microphone as Morooka made his way over to her.

“Really nice job tonight Mila, always good to hear you doing your best. To vote for Mila, head online at www.grandprixsuperstar.com/vote, on the mobile app for iPhone and Android; you can also text or SMS your vote to Mila's number, GPSTAR09, and there is a limit of ten votes maximum per method. Also remember that sales of all the Superstars' iTunes tracks count as one vote each, and all methods of voting including the iTunes purchases will go live at the end of the show,10 pm EST/0300 UTC. All voting methods will be open for exactly twelve hours.” He gave Mila one more pat on the shoulder as he sent her back to the chairs.

“Our next performer has had some great moments so far on the show, and tonight promises to be yet another. Let's take a few moments to learn more about Yuri Katsuki.”

 _Shot of Yuri on interview set_ “Something that people wouldn't know about me is that I am a really good cook.” _Footage provided by Yuri's family of him helping his mother cook at the onsen in his late teens_ “My family owns an onsen, which is a resort that is built around a hot spring in Japan. I grew up helping and when I got older, my mom started teaching me how to cook.” _Footage of Yuri cooking in the Superstar Mansion_ “While we were here between Hollywood Week and the first live show, for Victor's birthday party I made a Japanese dinner for everyone with my favorite meal, katsudon, which is a pork cutlet bowl. A lot of the group had never had it before.” _Shot of Victor trying the katsudon and dramatically yelling “vkusno! Is this what gods eat?” followed by laughter from the contestants; cut back to Yuri on the interview set_ “I think everybody liked it because I had to make it again a week later... and the week after that... and...” (stops and laughs) _Cut to Morooka at the judges' table._

“Singing 'Blackbird', let's hear it for Yuri!” Morooka turned to gesture to the stage as the cameras cut to Yuri sitting in the middle of the stage with Takeshi, both on acoustic guitars and the drummer of the band who was patting along in time on his thighs as on the original recording. He played the main acoustic guitar part as Takeshi followed along to accompany him, then raised his face to the microphone, the lyrics especially meaningful to him:

_Blackbird singing in the dead of night_  
_Take these broken wings and learn to fly_  
_All your life_  
_You were only waiting for this moment to arise_  


_Blackbird singing in the dead of night_  
_Take these sunken eyes and learn to see_  
_All your life,_  
_You were only waiting for this moment to be free_  


_Black bird fly, black bird fly_  
_Into the light of the dark black night_  


There was a bit of extra emotion in Yuri's voice as he sang, flashes of the memories that caused the song to be so important to him playing briefly in his mind, but not enough to distract him. Takeshi joined him to sing backing vocals in the chorus before Yuri played the acoustic solo in the middle of the song, then sang a final reprise of the first verse alone. As the tempo of the song slowed down near the end there was a slight catch in Yuri's voice as he sang the final line, “you were only waiting for this moment to arise”, then hit the last downstroke on the guitar with a satisfying twang that rang out over the room. The crowd erupted into cheers and shouts and Takeshi gave him a pat on the back. He set his guitar in the stand and walked over to center stage for his critique.

“Yuri!!” Celestino yelled. “Ah man, that's one of my favorite Beatles songs and you did really well on this. It's totally in your wheelhouse and you nailed the emotions in it very well. The thing about the Beatles is that a lot of their earlier work was very simple, but that's what makes it effective. You definitely recognized that and did a faithful rendition of this that was still very much you. Great job.”

“So that katsudon looked really good, you have to call me next time okay?” Minako said playfully, causing many in the crowd to laugh and Yuri to as well. “I loved this song for you and it was a perfect choice. Aside from your voice being sublime, you are a really good guitarist too. I loved everything about this for sure.”

“You continue to show your range to us week after week. You are a highly proficient musician and performer. This was a respectful performance of a very iconic song that was done very well,” Yakov concluded.

Morooka came over then and shook Yuri's hand in congratulations before reciting his voting information and sending him back to the seats. “Our next performer has been steadily improving since we first saw her in Hollywood Week. Let's learn a bit more about Sara.” The studio dimmed as the screens began to show the next video.

 _Shot of Sara on the interview set_ “Something people might not know, or actually, remember about me from my audition is that I mentioned that like Yura I also have done figure skating.” _Shot of Yura and Sara at a Los Angeles ice rink during the interim between Hollywood Week and the live shows, skating together_ **Sara, voiceover:** “I made it up to Senior level, but I had difficulty learning some of the jumps so I ended up stopping when I didn't go any further.” _Shot of Yura doing a triple loop and Sara cheering; she looks into the camera_ “He's wayyyy better than me!” (laughs) _Shot of Sara on interview set_ “I still do it for fun here and there, but music is my first love now.” _Cut to live shot of Morooka at stage left._

“Singing 'And I Love Her', here is Sara,” Morooka said, turning toward center stage as the band began the song. She began to sing the lyrics as they were written, her face serene with a soft smile as her soft, melodic voice carried over the studio:

_I give her all my love_  
_That's all I do_  
_And if you saw my love_  
_You'd love her too_  
_I love her_  


_She gives me everything_  
_And tenderly_  
_The kiss my lover brings_  
_She brings to me_  
_And I love her_  


Over in the chairs Mila had flushed bright red and was hiding her face, trying not to giggle shyly, at the same time proud of Sara for sticking to her guns and not choosing a different song as one of the producers had suggested to her. The song went into the modulation and she continued to sing with serenity, the soft smile never leaving her face as the song ended. The crowd erupted in cheers and shouts as she rose to take her critique at center stage.

“This was a very interesting song choice for you,” Celestino began. “I'd almost say a little risky. You have some guts there girl,” he winked. “Aside from that though, you sang this beautifully. There's an almost haunting quality to this song and you captured that perfectly.”

“You sounded really lovely on this song,” Minako said. “We've seen other contestants on different shows use a song because they identified strongly with it, regardless of who the lyrics address. It's all in the spirit of how it's performed and you did this flawlessly and very true to the original's intent.”

“A true performer can interpret anything regardless of the song's content,” Yakov concluded. “You have given a perfect example of this tonight. Excellent performance.” The crowd began to cheer Sara on again as Morooka came over to read off her voting information, then sent her back to the chairs.

“When we return, we have our final two performances,” Morooka said. “Victor will sit down at the piano for the first time on the live stage, and Chris will end the night with a showstopper, after the break.”

When Sara returned to the chairs Mila grabbed her and hugged her tightly, stopping short of doing what she really wanted to which was kiss her in front of the world.

“I can't believe you did that,” Mila said, her eyes a little teary. “I just hope you don't run into trouble for it, because I'll feel really bad if you do.”

“It will be worth it,” Sara grinned. “I had the chance and I took it.” She hugged her tightly again before she turned to accept words of encouragement and compliment from the others, with Victor giving her a quick hug before he headed to center stage to get settled at the piano for his song.

“And we are back for the final performances of this night of iconic music,” Morooka said. “Right now, let's learn a bit more about Victor.”

 _Shot of Victor on the interview set_ “Something people wouldn't know about me is that I not only took ballet for most of my life, I can also dance en pointe, which usually only women do.” _Cut to footage of Victor in his choreographer friend's Los Angeles dance studio, wearing toe shoes and dancing effortlessly_ **Victor, voiceover:** “When I was in a ballet company I was not allowed to do this as men do not go en pointe. But I wanted to challenge myself so after I found shoes big enough to fit me, I started learning from a friend who taught ballet and eventually was able to do it.” _Cut back to Victor on interview set_ “I don't do it as much as I used to because it's gotten more difficult as I've gotten older. But I show my students sometimes, so they can believe that they can achieve anything they want to if they work hard enough and believe in themselves.” _Cut to live shot of Morooka in the pit with fans._

“Singing 'The Long and Winding Road', here is Victor.” He turned to the stage, where Victor began the first line a capella at the piano. As he played he was accompanied by an orchestra and the backing singers, the emotion in his voice already evident in just the first verse, then becoming even more intense in the second. Yuri watched the screens when they zoomed in on his face, quite certain that Victor was very close to becoming teary onstage, his voice beginning to quaver as he got deeper into the song. As he listened, Yuri was also certain about who the song was likely being sung for as he remembered their conversation the previous week:

_The long and winding road, that leads, to your door_  
_Will never disappear, I've seen that road before_  
_It always leads me here, lead me to your door_  
_The wild and windy night, that the rain, washed away_  
_Has left a pool of tears, crying for the day_  
_Why leave me standing here, let me know the way_  


_Many times I've been alone, and many times I've cried_  
_Any way you'll never know, the many ways I've tried_  
_And still they lead me back, to the long winding road_  
_You left me standing here a long long time ago_  
_Don't leave me waiting here, lead me to your door_

Victor became more passionate as the musical interlude swelled, rocking back and forth as he played the piano; by the time he began the reprise of the final verse and chorus he was definitely on the edge of tears, his voice a bit shaky as he fought to keep it under control. As the main vocal ended he went without the “yeah yeah yeah yeah” that was present in the original recording, turning his face away from the cameras as if to watch the harpist finish the song with a flourish while taking a moment to quickly wipe at his eyes. With a deep breath he composed himself and turned around, rising and heading over to center stage. He looked down and saw that Minako was dabbing at her eyes with a tissue, telling Celestino to begin while she composed herself.

“Victor, man... what a _moment_ ,” Celestino said. “You are so fantastic at pulling an audience into your performances. This song is a heartbreaker as it is, and this... damn. Amazing performance, fantastic vocal, and it's really great to see you on piano too.”

Minako was finally ready to offer her critique then. “When I saw you were doing this song I knew it would be incredible and I was not disappointed at all. You continue to show us versatility, vulnerability, and a bunch of other verbs and stuff I can't remember in English right now because I'm too emotional,” she said, evoking laughter from the audience and a smile from Victor. “Excellent performance, but we've come to expect nothing less from you.”

“I don't think there's anything more that needs to be said,” Yakov concluded. “This is quite possibly one of your best performances overall.” Victor raised the microphone then to say thank you as the crowd began to cheer for him again. Morooka came over, offering a congratulatory handshake before Victor headed back to the chairs. He was greeted by Yuri as he sat down, accepting his offer of a hug as Morooka moved on to the final video introduction of the night.

“Our final contestant of the night has already shown us many sides to his talents. Let's see if there's anything else to learn about Chris.”

 _Cut to Chris on the interview set_ “Something people wouldn't know about me is that I. Love. Cats.” _Footage of Chris at home in Switzerland, playing with his cat_ **Chris, voiceover:** “The apartment I have right now only allows one cat, or else I'd have ten. I'm hoping to be able to move to a bigger place soon so I can get a few more.” _Cut to footage of the group in Los Angeles from the past week, making an appearance at an adoption fair_ **Chris, voiceover:** “This past week we got a chance to do something other than music. The Orange County SPCA was doing an adoption drive, and I got to play with allllllll the kitties.” _Shot of Chris in the middle of a pile of cats; cut to interview set_ “I'm proud to say that every single cat I presented to a potential adoptee found a home. If music doesn't work out, I've found my true calling.” (grins into camera) _Cut to live shot of Morooka at stage right._

“Performing 'Hey Jude', here is Christophe,” Morooka said, gesturing with a flourish toward the stage, where Chris began the song at the piano with just his voice, with the instruments and backing vocals building as he moved through the second verse and then the full band as he sang the change. There was a slight break in the music at the end of that portion where Takeshi slipped in along side Chris as he rose, taking over the piano as Chris took the microphone out of its stand and sang the chorus as he walked toward the front of the stage. The song was edited so that when he got to the final line “and make it better”, it segued into the near-ending of the song where he sang the word “better” in a scale going upward until he added a mid-level “scream” after the final, highest “better”, after which the song went into the iconic “na na na” part. He began to canvass the stage, swaying his hand in the air, the audience immediately picking up and singing along, waving their hands as well. Over in the chairs the contestants had all stood up and joined in, with Victor facing the audience and urging them to sing along as well. The song came to a close on one final “Hey Jude”, the band flowing into a flourish of sustained notes and drumroll to the final downbeat. The crowd was going insane, with a partial standing ovation as Chris walked up to the mark for the final critique of the night.

“Chris!!” Minako cried. “This was a fantastic way to close the show. I love the juxtaposition between this and Victor's song. Both are iconic Beatles classics but this song always pulls at the heartstrings too. I loved the little bit of bluesy feel in your voice for this and I love that you got up from the piano and engaged the audience. Great job.”

“This was really great, I loved it,” Celestino grinned. “I love that last week we saw you about as over the top as you could get, and this week you laid down this sublime performance that broke it down to just you and your voice and a piano. That versatility is going to take you far.”

“My only regret about this performance is that the time limit did not allow you to settle into the full emotion of the song as you did in the studio version, which I will add is phenomenal as well,” Yakov said. “I hope you choose to do the full length song on the tour, because your version deserves to be heard live. This was an excellent performance and a good way to close the night.”

The crowd cheered once more as Morooka congratulated Chris and gave out his voting information. The contestants were then directed to join Chris at center stage for the montage reviewing all the performances and reminding the viewers of the voting information for each Superstar.

“And that's our show for tonight folks,” Morooka said, “and what a show it has been. I'd also like to add that if you'd like to see more of the Superstars' visit to the Orange County SPCA, head over to the Superstar Grand Prix website and look for “Behind The Scenes Video”. Join us tomorrow for the results show, where our musical guest will be Sara Bareilles. Until then, Morooka – out!”

 

 

 

**Website Special Content – Orange County SPCA**

_Victor, on the shuttle bus with the other Superstars:_ Today we are getting to do something fun for a little break from work. The SPCA here is doing an adoption drive, and they want everyone to come and adopt all of the animals they have today. So they figured they would bring some people who everyone wants to see, and then they'll go home with a new friend. (smiles)

_Contestants exiting the shuttle bus to cheers from those waiting in line for the event to start; cuts to the various Superstars signing autographs and taking photos with the fans. They then go into the back area of the building, where some go to the dog room and some to the cat room, and a few others to other animals available._

_Chris, sitting on the floor playing with about 10 cats, with Yura in the background with a few more:_ I absolutely adore cats. They have the best personalities and they'll even talk to you if you talk enough to them. Sometimes. Because they have attitudes and you have to earn it. _A calico cat climbs up onto his shoulder and headbutts his forehead_ I'm in love. This is dangerous.

 _Cut to Victor, in the dog room with Yuri, who is holding a rust colored toy poodle mix. Yuri:_ This guy looks a lot like a dog I had. I've been told he's already adopted so I'm really happy he's getting a home. _Laughs as dog licks his face_

_Montage of shots of Mila, Sara, Yura and Chris playing with and showing cats to potential adoptees, with Yuri, Victor and Leo doing the same with the dogs. Phichit is found with a pen full of guinea pigs, and JJ is outside with a horse that is being adopted._

_Final shot of the Superstars taking a group picture with the staff, then boarding the bus after signing autographs for the lingering fans. Cut to shot of Yuri on the bus:_ Any time you can give back in some way because of who you are is a bonus. People came here today to see us, but then they took the chance to do good by saving a life too. And any chance we get to use whatever recognition we get from this show to do good in the world is something I'm always going to take. Careers in music come and go, but when you put good into the world, that's what people remember the most. (smiles)

_Shot of bus heading toward home, the sun setting in the distance. Fade to black._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello hi yes, sorry I am late with this update again! The holidays are catching up to me and with this coming weekend being Christmas, I won't promise a completely timely update either lol. I'm definitely shooting for it though. :)
> 
> I am at @AslanKatsuki on Twitter; I'm really not on Tumblr a lot but my username is @HuntressFirefall there. Also, the [Spotify Playlist](https://open.spotify.com/user/fallbackintome/playlist/0jJjh4a3fv5oXd7iSJMhSH) for the fic has been updated! As always, thanks for reading, and your comments and kudos. :)


	11. Results - Week Four and Live Shows - Week Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Morooka:** We are now one-third of the way through the competition and down to our Top 8 Superstars. This week, they'll have a chance to stretch their creative wings. We'll learn a bit more about our contestants along the way as well. Tonight's show promises to be quite exciting so let's get right to it. THIS... is Superstar Grand Prix!!

**Superstar Mansion - Morning of Week Four Results Show**

The morning of a results show always had a somber undertone to it, but this week seemed to be exceptionally melancholy. Leo's cold had gotten worse to the point where he'd been taken to urgent care after the performance show, at which he was diagnosed with bronchitis. Once treated with antibiotics and cough syrup he was finally able to lie down and sleep, but had all but lost his voice again. He'd been quite upset about his performance the night before, and as much as everyone tried to put it out of their minds the fickle television audience, while mostly unpredictable, might just be exceptionally predictable with their choices this time around.

Yuri in particular was concerned about Victor, however. His uncharacteristic show of emotions during his performance the previous night had him worrying, especially when Victor didn't come down for breakfast. Yura passed it off as him possibly wanting to avoid catching anything from Leo, but Leo had decided to stay in his room until he was obligated to be around the others, concerned he'd make someone else sick. Yuri gathered up his plate and Victor's and headed upstairs to once again find Victor out on the terrace by himself, this time with just his phone, listening to music with Makkachin curled at his feet. Yuri rounded the table to catch the other's attention as he had his earbuds in and Victor looked up, stopping the music and taking them out as Yuri set his plate before him.

“Just wanted to make sure you eat,” Yuri said as he sat down with his own plate.

“Thanks,” Victor said softly, uncovering the eggs, toast, sausage and hash browns and beginning to eat, clearly hungry despite his not joining the group for breakfast. The pair ate in silence, the light breeze rustling the trees whose tops rose over the edge of the second-floor terrace. Once both were done, Yuri decided to broach the elephant hanging over them both.

“So... are you okay? I mean... you seemed really... upset last night,” Yuri said gently, struggling for the best word to describe Victor's obviously anguished state.

Victor sighed. “Yeah... that song is probably the one that explains the situation as it is the best. I've tried to reach out over the years, tried to at least be on speaking terms with my parents. But it's been nine years. I don't think anything is going to change,” he said.

“I don't know... you should never give up hope,” Yuri said. “I know it's easier said than done but... maybe they're watching you now and seeing that there are people who do appreciate the road you've taken. Maybe they'll understand how special you are now that it's been acknowledged on such a large scale.”

“It was never about my talent... I don't think, anyway. Ultimately, they didn't approve of me as a person. I'd always thought the love of parents was unconditional, but they proved me wrong. To be quite honest, if they reached out now, I'd be dubious of it.”

“Why though?” Yuri asked.

“Because after they broke my faith in that unconditional love, I'd be left to wonder if they were just trying to come back into my life because I'd become famous. They didn't agree with my career choices, changing from ballet to music, because they felt I had more of a future in ballet. After all the lessons they'd paid for and all that comes with it, I was expected to return the favor by continuing and finding a way to break into it to provide for them. If I didn't go the route they wanted me to, then I had to follow their rules. When I didn't... and when they found out other things... what little they gave me was taken away. I was lucky I had friends I could stay with until I found my own place, did some odd jobs to save up money until I saw the sports complex was looking for a beginner ballet instructor. I wasn't certified then, but they liked me enough to let me at least instruct basic form to novices. Without that stroke of luck, I don't know where I'd be.”

Yuri remained quiet then, trying to wrap his head around a family that held no care for their own loved one. He'd been lucky enough to have the opposite all his life, even if he'd been away from them for quite a while. He moved his chair closer to Victor's, draping an arm around his shoulders.

“All you can do is try again sometime,” Yuri said. “If you want to, of course.”

“We'll see. I'd like to believe things could be fixed. But I'm really not sure. I don't really think about it much, and definitely not to the level of what I did last night. But the song spoke to me and I kept coming back to it to do, so I did. I've put it out there. Whatever comes next, comes. Or not.”

Victor's tone was decisive then, and Yuri thought better of pursuing it further. Instead he kept his arm around Victor's shoulders as the pair remained silent, the breeze picking up a bit as the morning grew more overcast.

“Feels like rain,” Yuri said, feeling awkward in the silence. “I guess it doesn't rain here much, but in winter there's more of a chance.”

“I wouldn't mind it,” Victor said. Just then, as if to emphasize Yuri's point, a few seagulls circled into view, their calls carrying on the wind.

“Seagulls. I never paid attention to them when I was home, their racket was always there because St. Petersburg is right on the water. But not hearing them for awhile makes me think of home. I don't know if I miss home exactly... but yeah.”

“There's lots of kamome where I live too. I live right on the water, Hasetsu is a seaside city. So they remind me of home too. I haven't been home in five years. I only had enough money to live in Detroit and go to school. I didn't plan for it to happen... it just did.”

“What's your family like?” Victor asked.

“My mom and dad run the onsen, so they're very sociable. My sister Mari is older than me, but she supported my wanting to be in dance, and then also when I changed majors. She was going to come over when I made it to the live shows, but she hadn't saved up enough money yet. She still wants to come though. I hope I don't get voted off before she can. With my luck, she'll get here and it will be my last week on the show.”

“You're going to make it to the final, and you're going to win,” Victor said emphatically with a wink.

“Oh please. Everyone is pretty sure you're going to take it. You've never done anything the judges or voters don't like. You're a natural at this and there's no way I can beat you. I'm a dime-a-dozen singer-songwriter. There's nothing special about me.”

“I don't believe that for a moment,” Victor replied, blue eyes softening as they looked into Yuri's, an equally soft smile curling the corners of his mouth. “You're more special than you realize.”

Yuri felt the flush over his cheeks again, the one that always happened whenever Victor said something like that to him. He gave Victor's shoulders a squeeze, returning the other man's smile.

“I'll keep that in mind,” he replied. He looked over at his phone as a notification came through, noting the time. “I should probably get going, or I'll be fighting for shower time with Phichit.”

Victor smiled at that. “Same here with Chris. I think I'm procrastinating because I don't think any of us are going to like the results tonight.”

Yuri sighed hard as they rose, gathering their dishes to head inside. “Yeah... and I think it's only going to get tougher from here,” he replied.

 

**Results Show – Dress Rehearsal**

Although the remaining nine contestants had been rehearsing the group number for the week's results show along with their solo performances, the fact that Leo had very little voice to utilize was still a last-minute change that had thrown everyone for a loop. He'd had a substantial part in the harmony, and Takeshi was now hurriedly rearranging everything. Ultimately Lilia decided that Leo would join them for the group number, and he'd mouth the words along with the chorus and other harmony parts, but his microphone would be turned off with her forbidding him to sing. As a result he was already in a very downtrodden mood, with Phichit, Sara and Yuri trying to comfort him as best they could.

During one of the “hurry up and wait” moments that often happened during dress rehearsal where the lighting computerization was adjusted or other stage elements tweaked, Victor was over by the chairs regrouping a bit when Seung Gil came over to him.

“Hey Victor, how are you doing today?” Seung Gil asked, sitting down next to him.

Victor nodded congenially. “I'm all right, why do you ask?” he replied.

“Well a lot of us noticed that you seemed unusually emotional last night. I don't think I've ever seen you in that vulnerable of a state before. Is everything okay?”

Victor sighed then, not really wanting to share personal issues with someone he hadn't talked much with before now, despite Phichit's vouching for Seung Gil as a 'good guy'. “The song just has a deep meaning with regard to a part of my life I haven't discussed publicly. I'm not really comfortable with doing that. But I knew the emotional connection to the song would help my performance, so I utilized it.”

Seung Gil nodded in understanding then. “I see. I was just worried that maybe the pressure and the controversies of late might be weighing on you. We try to keep an eye out on all of you and catch any stress-related issues before they become larger problems. This whole process is pretty insane and we don't want any of you getting overtaxed,” he explained.

Victor nodded again. “Well thank you for checking, but I'm fine,” he said, smiling softly. “A good performer uses the emotions within him to put forth good art. I'm no exception to that.”

Seung Gil smiled as he rose, giving Victor a pat on the shoulder. “That's why you're our frontrunner. You've got a handle on this stuff. I really hope all the other contestants are learning from you.”

Victor laughed softly then. “Maybe. But I think they'll do fine on their own.”

 

 

Leo sat out the final of the three runthroughs of the group number, and then everyone headed backstage to wait for the show to start. Leo went to one of the couches and laid down to nap at which Sara found a blanket to drape over him, promising to wake him when showtime neared. The uncertainty that usually didn't kick in until Morooka called for the lights to be dimmed was already present, with everyone hushed and mostly paying attention to their phones while Leo napped. JJ was in the opposite corner keeping to himself and texting with Isabella while the others gathered at the two small round tables in the room.

“God... I'm so nervous for tonight,” Sara murmured softly as she looked over toward Leo.

“I know,” Phichit sighed. “It's not fair either. He did the best he could but I just have a bad feeling.”

“That's the thing. The people watching don't see what we're going through,” Yura said. “All I saw on Twitter was that they thought he sounded like shit and should go home. After everything else he's done? It's not like people don't know he can sing. Meanwhile there's other people who make a fucking joke out of this whole thing, and people still loved it.”

“Everyone's fans support them and fight with other fans,” Mila noted. “But JJ's in particular... they're rather... passionate, I guess.”

“I'd rather be defended for my talent than for doing something that makes me look like an idiot,” Yura growled. “It seems like they're that much more over the top the worse he is.”

“We don't know, maybe our fans are the same way,” Christophe said. “I know whenever I got a somewhat negative critique they'd be quite vocal in defending me.”

“My theory is that the more the judges come down on him, the harder they defend him and vote for him,” Yuri said. “But that's happened on other shows like this too.”

“Whatever it is, at some point people will see through it,” Mila said. “Or at least, you can only hope.”

“I just wish he'd listen to reason,” Victor said. “He doesn't need the extra stuff. Chris did something a bit off the wall with the heels dancing one time. But just because it works doesn't mean you lean on it.”

Just then Yuuto came into the room. “Fifteen minutes everyone. Over to makeup for last minute touchups, then head backstage please.”

The group rose from the chairs with Sara waking Leo and began to file out of the room. Yuuto did a head count as they passed by, finding one missing; he looked around the room to find JJ still in the corner, texting with Isabella.

“JJ, come on, let's go. Fourteen minutes,” he called.

“I'll be right there, I just need to finish this,” JJ replied.

Yuuto sighed in exasperation and walked over. “JJ. If you don't come right now, the producers will take that phone from you during your time on the lot. Let's. Go.”

JJ rose then, firing off one last text before placing the phone in the secure safe in the room where the contestants left them during showtime. “There's no rush, you know. I'm going to be safe again,” JJ said with an emphatic grin.

“You still have to get on stage with everyone else. Come on, we're late to makeup,” Yuuto said, hustling JJ out of the room.

 

The nine remaining contestants assembled behind the huge onstage screen, this time with nothing but two baby grand pianos flanking them on either side. The song for the group number this week was quite understated and mellow, so everyone was standing at different points on the stage save for Yuri and Phichit who had been enlisted to play the piano parts of the song. The amount of harmonies in the number, a piano and voice arrangement of “Let It Be” based on the cover by the vocal trio Gentri, had been the cause of the hurried restructuring of the number with the loss of Leo's voice. As a result the contestants were feeling a bit nervous about the performance, having to remember the changes after a week of rehearsing a different way. There was no room for error or for burying a bad note in the instrumentation; everything would have to be on point or the iconic song, the arrangement of which was already different, would be marred even further which had made taking Leo's rough voice out of the equation that much more important. To make matters worse, the performance was the cold open for the show; there was no montage or introduction for the contestants to settle into as Seung Gil counted down the last ten seconds to live.

Yuri and Phichit began the piano introduction, their instruments placed so that the audience got a side view of both pianos, with the pair facing each other. Their vocals opened the performance, with Yuri going first:

 **Yuri:**  
When I find myself in times of trouble  
Mother Mary comes to me  
Speaking words of wisdom  
Let it be

 **Phichit:**  
And in my hour of darkness  
She is standing right in front of me  
Speaking words of wisdom  
Let it be

 **Victor:**  
Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be  
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be

The song continued, with the nine voices entwining in more and more intricate harmonies, the remaining contestants having a short solo highlight before the piano interlude after which all of the Superstars' voices remained combined in harmony. Split up into three trios, each sang one part of the three-part harmony arrangement (or appeared to, as Leo's mic was not turned on). The volume of their voices all swelled, the emotions swirling within the poignant song coming to a head with Chris' final, three-note solo “let it be” as Yuri and Phichit played out the end, their two voices and Victor's meshing in meandering harmony to finish the song on the final low piano note. The studio remained quiet for a few moments before erupting into applause for an allotted five seconds then broken into by the musical commerical-cue as the show went to the first break of the night.

The contestants adjourned to the chairs in the same order they'd been seated the night before as Leo leaned in to ask Sara something in his squeaky, whispered voice which she then posed to the others.

“Did anyone else hear Leo's voice during that?” she asked.

Chris nodded. “Yeah. I think they mixed in his recorded vocal from the charity recording we did of it. Would have been nice if they'd told us, we wouldn't have had to rearrange everything.”

“There weren't many changes,” Victor said. “But it did throw me a little. I wasn't expecting to hear his voice so I almost stopped and checked to see if he was singing.”

“At least it sounded good,” Leo whispered with a smile.

As the show came back from break the judges were given their usual introduction by Morooka, and once they were seated he began the show in earnest.

“Welcome back everyone. Before we begin tonight I want to mention that as of right now on iTunes worldwide, there is a studio recording of the opening number you heard tonight from our Superstars. All of the proceeds from the recording will be going to the Orange County SPCA, which you saw mentioned last night and in the bonus footage on the Superstar Grand Prix website. Yakov, how did this recording come about?”

“We were in rehearsals for the group number for this week, and it sounded too spectacular to just remain a televised performance,” Yakov began. “We wanted to record it, and it was the contestants that suggested we use it for charity and they chose the SPCA.”

“Well it was definitely an excellent idea, really amazing performance everyone,” Morooka said, the crowd applauding the Superstars who smiled or waved in response.

“A bit later on tonight we'll see another piano expert with a performance from Sara Bareilles. But right now, let's begin our results,” Morooka said. “Kieran dim the lights, and here we go. Yuri, you're up.” Yuri headed over, standing next to Morooka, folding his hands in front of him.

“You performed 'Blackbird'. Celestino said you did a faithful rendition that was very much 'you'. Minako said it was sublime. And Yakov said it was a respectful performance that was done very well. The viewers voted, and Yuri you are safe.” Yuri let out a sharp exhale, waving to the camera and mouthing a thank you as he headed back to the chairs, with Mila called next.

“Mila, you performed 'Come Together'. Minako said it was a return to what you do best. Celestino said it was a good call to use the Aerosmith version. Yakov said it was a very good performance but that you should work on surprising us next week. The viewers voted, and you will get that chance because you are safe.” The crowd applauded with a smattering of whoops and cheers as she returned to her chair, with Morooka continuing with Phichit.

“Phichit you sang 'Revolution'. Celestino said you nailed it. Minako said it was a great rock star vibe. And Yakov said you gave a great performance despite the technical glitches. The viewers have spoken, and....” Morooka paused for a few moments then, waiting for the crowd to start reacting as Phichit's face became mildly concerned. “Phichit, you are safe.” The normally unflappable Phichit breathed a visible sigh of relief as he headed back to the chairs, low-fiving Sara as she walked over for her result.

“Sara, you sang 'And I Love Her'. Celestino said the song choice was a little risky but you sang it beautifully. Minako said you sounded really lovely. And Yakov said it was an excellent performance. The viewers have spoken and Sara...” Morooka paused again for what felt like an eternity, the low-level, pulsing music in the background making the mood more nerve-wracking. “Sara, I am sorry but you are in the bottom three tonight.”

The crowd erupted into a chorus of shouts and boos, while over in the chairs the contestants were forming their own opinions of why Sara was really in the bottom. Mila buried her face in her hands against a rush of emotions.

“I told her not to do that song. I was worried it would cause her trouble,” Mila said as Chris reached down from his seat behind her in the top row to squeeze both her shoulders in comfort. Yuri tried not to be too obvious as he looked out of the corner of his eye at Victor, who sat with one arm wrapped around himself, the hand of the other covering his mouth as his expression turned a bit distant, wrapped in his own thoughts.

Leo was called up next, with Morooka giving his shoulder a pat. “You've had a pretty rough week,” he acknowledged, and Leo nodded; he noticed that Morooka stopped short of saying he had no voice to sing with, confirming the mixed in vocals from earlier. “You sang 'You've Got To Hide Your Love Away'. Celestino said under normal circumstances you'd have been right in your pocket with this song. Minako said you did the best you could and that she still really liked it. And Yakov said you gave the best performance you were able to and remained professional. The viewers have spoken and they...” Morooka paused again, pursing his lips grimly. “...they disagree with the judges. Leo, I'm sorry to say you are in the bottom three tonight. Head on over with Sara.” The cameras cut to the angry expression Minako's face knitted into, with Yakov and Celestino both seeming quite annoyed as well.

“After the break, Sara Bareilles will take the stage to perform one of the signature songs from her hit Broadway musical _Waitress,_ as well as the rest of the results, so stay tuned. THIS... is Superstar Grand Prix!” The cameras pulled away from Morooka, zooming in on one of the show logos as it went into the commercial break. Leo and Sara returned to the chairs to watch the guest performer in the next segment, with Mila hugging Sara tightly and Yura, Yuri and Phichit consoling Leo, none of them paying attention until Victor's voice saying “uh, guys?” broke into their interactions and they looked up to see Sara Bareilles coming over to address Sara specifically.

“Hey sweetheart,” she said to Sara, who had already teared up a bit, “For what it's worth I think it's bullshit you're in the bottom. Your performance last night was gorgeous and heartfelt and you have a beautiful voice. No matter what happens, it was very gutsy to do what you did and whoever you sang it for is a very lucky girl. Besides, I have to stick up for my name twin,” she concluded with a wink, hugging Sara before she was called to center stage to get ready to perform. Sara watched her go, blinking in surprise.

“That... just happened right?” she asked, unable to hide the smile on her face.

“It did,” Mila said. “They must have told her that you mentioned at one time that she was one of your favorites. That was really sweet.”

Victor reached down from his seat above Sara and gave her a quick hug from behind. “It will be okay, no matter what. The most important thing will still be there,” he reminded her, nodding to Mila who smiled in return as the show came back from the break for the guest performance. Once that was concluded, Morooka took his place and Leo and Sara were directed to center stage once again.

“So far we have two of our bottom three named for tonight. I'm sure everyone is wanting to know who the third person is, so let's get right to it,” Morooka said. “Yura, you're up.” The teen rose and walked to the mark next to Morooka, a scowl on his face as he too was very unhappy with the results thus far.

“You sang 'Eleanor Rigby',” Morooka began. “Yakov said that there is a good voice beneath the showmanship. Minako said she liked that we saw some of your personality. And Celestino said he liked that you did something with more nuance. The voters have chosen and Yura... you are safe.” The crowd erupted into approving shouts and cheers as he headed back to the chairs, high-fiving Christophe as he passed by on his way to the mark next to Morooka.

“Chris, you performed 'Hey Jude'. Minako loved that you engaged the audience. Celestino said your versatility is going to take you far. And Yakov wished the performance could have been longer. The voters have spoken and you... are safe. Victor and JJ, come on over.”

The audience was already reacting with angry shouts and boos at the mere potential of Victor being in the bottom, while over at the chairs all of the contestants were quite surprised. Once again JJ jogged ahead of Victor, inciting more boos as he waved to the audience with a huge grin, in contrast to Victor's more reserved demeanor.

“This fuckhead thinks he's going to be safe up against Victor? Bullshit!” Yura growled. “I swear to god if Victor is in the bottom...”

“He'll be fine,” Yuri said. “He has to be...”

“Victor, you performed 'The Long and Winding Road'. Celestino said it was a moment. Minako said it was an excellent performance but that we expect nothing less from you. And Yakov said that this was one of your best performances overall.” The crowd cheered their approval at that as Morooka turned to JJ. “JJ, you performed 'When I'm Sixty-Four'. Minako said it was a bit odd. Celestino said you could have sung it without the extra presentation. And Yakov said a different song choice would have served you better. The viewers have voted. And... Audience, who do you think is in the bottom tonight?” The contestants were taken aback by the twist as the audience erupted into angry shouts, overwhelmingly in favor of JJ being in the bottom. In response he folded his hands in front of him, eyes casting down to the floor. After a good twenty seconds of this, Morooka raised his microphone to speak again.

“The viewers have voted... and they agree with... our audience. Victor, you are safe. JJ, you are in the bottom three tonight.” Victor turned to extend a hand to JJ to shake as a good luck gesture, but the other had already turned his back on him, walking over to center stage with Sara and Leo.

“And here we have our bottom three,” Morooka said. “Judges, are you surprised at all with this outcome?”

“I think it's a bit upsetting to see Leo there, only because he was very obviously not at full potential,” Minako said.

“Sara's performance was gorgeous, so I don't understand why she's there,” Celestino said. “Well, I could comment but I'll keep that to myself.” There were a few “oooooohhhhs” in the audience at that, with many clearly agreeing at the unspoken assessment.

“I am not surprised at JJ at all,” Yakov said, leaving it at that which evoked cheers from the audience.

“Well, we will find out which of our judges is correct and who is going home, after the break,” Morooka said as the play out to break music was cued.

Victor had sat down while the judges were being questioned, shaking his head with a smirk as the show went to break.

“I was about to cut bitches if you were in the bottom,” Mila snapped. “The fuck was that bullshit?”

“I think they're just pulling stuff to be dramatic at this point,” Victor said. “They probably wanted to see if they'd get a rise out of me. I'll admit for a moment or two I second-guessed it because I mean... Sara's already in the bottom and that's bullshit too so I felt like anything could be happening.”

“There would have been a riot up in here if JJ was safe,” Phichit said. “I don't know how you held back from slapping that smile off his face.” Mila broke into giggles at that even though Phichit was uncharacteristically annoyed as well.

“He was covering for being upset about being in the bottom again, because let's face it he knew he had to be,” Yuri said. “He just really has to learn that what he's been doing so far isn't working.”

The show came back from break with Morooka standing beside the bottom three, with Sara and Leo having an arm around each other and JJ standing a step away from them both, smiling as if nothing was wrong.

“And we are back with our bottom three. I'm sure everyone wants to know who is going home, so let's get right to that,” Morooka began. “The first contestant that is safe tonight... is...” Another dramatic pause as the crowd erupted in a mix of shouts of Leo and Sara's names. “Sara. You are safe, head on back to the chairs.” She turned and hugged Leo tightly before going back, where Mila also gave her a crushing hug once she sat down.

“And now... judges, who do you think is going home?” The crowd reacted with more irritation as the cameras cut to the judges. For a few moments the three of them conversed, then Minako leaned into her microphone.

“We know who it should be, but we'll decline to say,” she replied, sounding a bit annoyed herself. The reaction seemed to throw Morooka for a moment, and he instead turned to Leo and JJ.

“The person going home tonight... is... Leo. JJ, you are safe.” The cameras flashed over first to the judges, who were attempting to remain stoic, then to the contestants, catching the ambivalent looks on their faces as JJ came back to the chairs.

Morooka put an arm around Leo's shoulders in consolation. “It's been a really rough week for you unfortunately. I know you've been sick and you don't really have a voice left, so instead we'll take a look at your journey.” He and Leo then turned to watch the montage of Leo's time on the show which seemed a bit longer than the other montages thus far, as well as a bit more choppily put together.

“I would put money on the fact that they were stalling with the whole asking the judges who should go home thing and with this extra footage of Leo because they knew he was going home,” Victor said as the montage played.

“How's that?” Chris asked.

“They had to fill time. They also talked a bit to Sara Bareilles which they don't normally do with the guests. You can't tell me they didn't know,” Victor said; next to Chris, Yuri and Phichit both nodded their agreement as the remaining contestants were called to center stage to say their goodbyes to Leo, who was unfortunately unable to perform a final song, instead croaking out a few words of thanks to his fans and the judges. As the show ended and went off the air Seung Gil noticed that immediately after 'cut' was called, JJ made a hasty retreat to backstage even before the judges had gotten up to the group from their seats.

 

 

“He wouldn't tell me anything, just that it was something in his life he didn't want to discuss in public. Although, when our producers were in St. Petersburg after the Moscow auditions to do bio footage on him, they inquired if he thought any family members would like to be interviewed and he said no. All he would say was that his parents were alive.”

Seung Gil was in the backstage office with Morooka after the end of the results show, as Morooka had asked his head production assistant to check in on Victor after his performance the night before.

“I wonder if there's anything more to it,” Morooka said. “Did he say who his parents were?”

“Not that I'm aware,” Seung Gil said. “But even if he's estranged in some way you still have to wonder if they're watching. Our ratings in Russia are huge because of the Russian contingent we have for contestants. Vkontakte goes ballistic every time he performs.”

“Hm. It might be worth looking into. We did do footage with his band members so we know of at least some people who have close contact with him. We've sent crews to the various hometowns to talk to family members for next week's “Songs From the Year You Were Born” theme, so maybe they'll turn something up. I think they're talking to Victor's former dance instructor and his bandmates again.”

“I don't think we should pry into things too much. And if there's something contentious I think we should honor his privacy,” Seung Gil said, not liking the direction the conversation seemed to be taking. “There's human interest and then there's just outright privacy invasion. We need to not cross that line because this seems especially sensitive.”

“True,” Morooka said. “Let's see what our people can find out. Anyone that turns us down to be included we'll leave alone, but everyone loves a happy ending, you know what I mean?”

Seung Gil remained silent in response, instead scrolling through the main hashtag for the show on Twitter. “Anyway... I'm seeing a _lot_ of backlash about JJ being safe again. Also, the big suspicion about Sara being in the bottom was because she sang the song for a woman which... sadly, I could see that.”

“There was a potential for older Beatles fans were going to take issue with that, admittedly,” Morooka sighed. “Aside from the obvious, the band's music is sacred to a lot of people, and any major changes or reworking or whatever will inspire negative responses. At least she did end up staying in. Honestly, I think JJ would have been gone were it not for Leo being sick. I don't think he'd have bombed with that song otherwise.”

“People seem to think that the voting doesn't matter and that we're keeping whoever we want in,” Seung Gil said. “The whole 'no particular order' that the results are announced in is causing the suspicion.”

“Hm... maybe we'll do something a bit different next week then,” Morooka said. “We have the different scenarios for revealing the votes that we tabled before, maybe we can dip into those.”

“Yeah... we need to stop this particular train of thought before we get accused of rigging. The only reason we were made aware of Leo going home this week was having to fill time because he couldn't sing a farewell song.”

“I suspected he'd be the one to go quite honestly,” Morooka said. “So I made the call to look at the results early. We'll plan better for that situation next time, we can always show the recording of their best performance or something. Hopefully no one caught on to the timing issue though.”

“It seems like we have quite a bit to mull over for next week then,” Seung Gil said. “But we definitely need to address it, because the tinhatters are out in full force, especially with JJ being safe when it seems the only people who like him are his hardcore fans.”

“We'll come up with something,” Morooka said. “But between the theme and what we're planning for for bio footage along with all of this, next week should be very eventful.”

 

 

**One Week Later: Live Shows, Week 5 – Songs From the Year You Were Born**

“We will do extra warmups, and Emil has the special tea for the throat that works quite well. You are not as sick as Leo was so I think if you take the utmost care, you shall be fine for tonight.”

Lilia was working with Sara before her performance during dress rehearsal for the week's live show. A pair of days after Leo had left, with his press tour postponed until his bronchitis cleared up, Sara had noticed her throat becoming scratchy. Thinking it was just possible overuse, she immediately consulted Lilia (despite how intimidating the prospect was) to find the vocal coach had been watching over her. Now Sara's cold had come on in full, her voice nasally but not as far gone as Leo's because she'd gotten on antibiotics at the recommendation of the producers pretty much immediately.

“I do want you to stay on vocal rest after your dress rehearsal runthrough, and only do bits of it if you can to help with the sound check. The song you've chosen this week isn't difficult, but singing through any irritation can cause injury,” Lilia advised. Sara was about to respond when she raised an index finger to stop her with a smirk, then went over to the table where she kept her notes, bringing back a pen and notepad to give to Sara.

“Use this when you need to. We must protect your voice. There is not much time between the dress rehearsal and the show, so it should not be too difficult,” Lilia said, sending Sara on her way after imparting a few more tips for her performance.

As the rehearsal came to a stop due to a technical issue Seung Gil looked around the stage. Yuri had just finished his song and something with the soundboard had gone sideways, so there was time for the head production manager to seek out someone he'd been meaning to speak to. He followed his ears to where the contestant was warming up for his performance, which was back to back with Yuri's for the first time in the live shows so far. Seung Gil waited until he finished his sing-through of the chorus before stepping over into his line of vision.

“Victor, got a second?” Seung Gil asked, casting a glance around the stage; there was no one immediately nearby.

“Sure, what's up?” he asked.

“Um... about your video segment this week,” Seung Gil said. “I know they don't show them to you guys normally but... I kind of think you should know what's coming. I'm not supposed to say anything and Morooka will kill me if he finds out though so just... you didn't hear this from me.”

Victor's brows knitted in concern for a moment. “I don't know what could possibly be scandalous about me, but okay.”

“It's not that... well... the video blurbs this week are interviews we did with people close to all the contestants, to match up with the theme. Morooka was pretty insistent about who he wanted so... I just thought you should know your mother is in your segment.”

Victor blinked, his face turning shocked. “How... how did they make that even happen?”

“That part, I don't know for sure,” Seung Gil said. “All she contributed was an old ballet picture from when you were 16, and a little bit about your ballet training. I guess your father declined to be interviewed.”

Victor's face turned thoughtful then, his hand coming up to rest a curled index finger against his chin, silver lashes hooding his eyes as they closed halfway. “That sounds about right,” he finally said.

“And... for what it's worth... she's been watching the show,” Seung Gil said; Victor's eyes flew open again in response, eyebrows raising.

“That, I did not expect,” he said.

“The only thing she'd say is that you had been on your own for quite some time. For the record, I was against adding this in, but what Morooka says ultimately goes. I didn't think it was fair not to tell you about it though. So... do with it what you will, I guess.” Seung Gil then heard an affirmation in his headset that the soundboard issue had been fixed, and he rose to take his leave but paused as Victor reached to tap his shoulder.

“Hey... thanks,” Victor said softly. “I appreciate you sticking your neck out for me.”

Kieran called down to Seung Gil from the lighting catwalk then and the production manager gave Victor a purse-lipped nod as he left to resume the runthrough. The time for Victor's video segment was blocked out and he used it to prep for his rehearsal performance, setting aside the emotions the revelation had stirred in him for now.

 

 

“I told you Seung Gil was on the up and up. If there's anyone on the production crew we can trust, it's him.”

Backstage after the dress rehearsal the eight remaining contestants were convening in their usual pre-show snacking and conversation when Yuri had noticed Victor seemed more pensive than usual. After five minutes of swearing everyone in the room to secrecy (with Yura practically threatening JJ against 'pulling any shit to fuck with Victor'), Victor had come clean about what the production manager had told him.

“So we know the video segments are going to have family members and probably some friends,” Mila said. “That's not so much of a big deal, but didn't you even tell them that you weren't in touch with your parents?”

“I hadn't given specifics. I'm thinking maybe my song last week tipped them off, because Seung Gil asked me about it. At the time I felt like something shady might be going on but Phichit kept insisting he didn't think Seung Gil would do anything with it. He did say Morooka would be pissed off if he found out I'd been tipped off though, so I think he's probably just doing as he's told and poking at us for information they can use to stir up stuff on the show.”

“I always remember there being speculation and theories with American Idol especially that the producers had more pull than was let on,” Yuri said. “Toward the end of the show it got kind of obvious, and some of the contestants even said that the producers had made them change songs last minute, which tended to derail some of them. So I really can't say I'm surprised.”

“On one hand, I can see the whole pulling at the heartstrings thing,” Christophe said. “But when they're prying into your past?”

“I don't think they're going to bring that up,” Victor said. “I think Seung Gil would have told me if it was especially upsetting. But to be honest, I'm not surprised my mother agreed to talk to them. She tended to do as she was told a lot as well.”

Sara scribbled something in the Notes app of her iPad, then held it up. _Maybe it will end up being a good thing. Breaking the ice._

Victor sighed, shrugging with a melancholy expression. “Possibly.”

“If she's been watching, your song from last week maybe got through to at least your mom,” Yuri offered. “Maybe that's why she agreed to talk with them.”

“I guess. I'm just glad I know about it. I doubt it would have affected my performance too much, but at least I can tune it out. I'll shove my in-ears in right away so I can't hear it,” Victor smirked.

“This makes me wonder what other shit they'll try to pull though,” Phichit said. “I hope Seung Gil keeps us posted if anything else shady happens.”

“I don't know how much he'll keep tempting fate,” Chris said. “I wouldn't if I were him. But that we know now why they don't show us the video clips beforehand is helpful. We can at least know there might be surprises in them going forward.”

“Seriously,” Mila said. “And I have a feeling these coming weeks are going to be a very bumpy ride.”

 

 

_Going live in 10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1!_

**Morooka, walking slowly past the eight remaining Superstars standing in line on the stage:** We are now one-third of the way through the competition and down to our Top 8 Superstars. This week, they'll have a chance to stretch their creative wings as our theme is Songs From The Year You Were Born. We'll learn a bit more about our contestants along the way as well. Tonight's show promises to be quite exciting so let's get right to it. THIS... is Superstar Grand Prix!!

The contestants stayed in their stage-spanning line as the intro to the show played on the screens behind and on the sides of the stage, their eyes on Seung Gil in the pit as he counted down from 10 with his fingers, as it was impossible to hear with “You Only Live Once” blasting through the studio and the audience screaming. At his signal they fanned out along the edge of the stage, slapping and shaking hands until the judges were announced, which was their cue to make their way to the chairs. This week they had arranged themselves with Yura, Mila, Sara and JJ in the top row and Chris, Phichit, Yuri and Victor in the bottom. JJ had made some vague complaint about not wanting to catch Sara's cold as they sat down, but his words were lost in the loud music and cheering as the judges sat at their table.

“Welcome back everyone,” Morooka began. “We have a great show lined up for you this week. The contestants have all chosen songs from the year they were born to sing for you tonight, and there is a great variety of performances coming your way so we're going to get right to it. First up, let's hear from the friends and family of Christophe.” He turned toward the screen behind him as the studio lights dimmed, the video package being projected on all of the screens on set.

 _Christophe on interview set_ “I was born in 1991, which makes me woefully old. But I'm not the oldest person here, so that makes me happy.” (laughs) _Photos of Chris in dance classes, beginning with a voiceover of and then cutting to footage of his mother speaking:_ “Chris was always the kid in dance classes that would stand out because he loved to dance. He was always practicing even when he was at home.” _Footage of Chris performing one of his less risque dances at his job, singing as well_ . **(Chris' mother, voiceover)** “I have seen a few of the shows he does for his job, but it is not the only kind of dancing he does. He has always done many different things and has always had many talents. He has always been allowed to express himself however he wants to, and I think that's important. We are all very proud of him, no matter what he chooses in his life.” _Cut to Chris on the interview set_ “I've been lucky that I always had a lot of support growing up and it helped me to become who I am today. I'll always be grateful for that.” _Cut to Morooka at the judges' table._

“Performing the 1991 comeback hit for the classic rock band Styx, called “Show Me The Way”, here is Christophe,” Morooka introduced.

The stage lights came up slowly to match up with the gentle keyboard of the intro of the song, the only accompaniment to Chris' voice for the first verse until the backing singers joined him for the first chorus. His voice carried over the silent studio, projecting in an almost theatrical style as he continued into the second verse. He walked out to center stage, becoming more emotional as he belted the change of the song, hitting the highest notes in it perfectly. The song was edited to exclude the guitar solos, going into a reprise of the chorus after, into which Chris poured even more emotion as he sang the line “give me the strength and the courage to believe that I'll get there someday”, the supportive words of family and friends fueling his final reprise of the song's hook before finishing with a softly-sung reprise of the first two lines. As the band finished, the final keyboard notes echoing to fadeout he drew in a deep breath, swallowing down the unexpected rush of emotions as he took his mark at stage front.

“Chriiiiiisss!” Celestino yelled, still applauding. “That song came out right around the end of the power ballad era of music, but I think you'd have fit into that musical era very well if you weren't in diapers then,” he began, causing Chris and the audience to laugh. “I didn't realize you had such a theatrical voice, you really sounded great on this and it was a perfect song choice for you.”

“I really loved this too, and I loved the emotions you put into it,” Minako agreed. “Sometimes people don't realize how hard it is to sing what seems like a simple melody line. The song is pretty bare bones and relies on the vocal and your performance of it was flawless.”

“This was an excellent choice for you. You have never tried anything that is out of your capabilities, even while stretching yourself. Impressive as always,” Yakov concluded as Morooka walked over to Chris.

“Really great performance tonight my friend,” he said, shaking Chris' hand. “If you'd like to vote for Chris you can do so online at www.superstargrandprix.com/vote, or use the mobile app for iPhone or Android; all of these have a 10-vote limit. You can also text or SMS your vote to Chris' number, GPSTAR10, also with a 10-vote maximum. And just as a reminder, sales of all of the contestants' singles, including Chris' studio track of “Show Me The Way” will also count as one vote per download, so make sure you buy all of your favorite performances tonight as well. The voting and iTunes tracks will be live at the end of the show.” He thanked Chris once more and sent him off to the chairs.

“Next up, we have the youngest contestant in the competition and the only one not born in the 1980s or 1990s. Let's take a look at this feature about Yura.” He gestured to the screens behind him as the studio lights once again dimmed.

 _Yura, on interview set_ “It really sucks to be the youngest person in the group; I was born in 2001. I'm lucky because we finish high school in Russia earlier than here, so I don't have to do tutoring, but because I'm still a minor I had to have my grandfather come with me. Which isn't really too bad because we are very close.” _Footage of Nikolai and Yura spending time together in Los Angeles_ **(Nikolai, voiceover)** “Yura's father is not in the picture, and his mother is a traveling musician, so she was gone a lot when Yura was little. My wife and I raised him pretty much.” _Footage provided by Nikolai of Yura at about 8 years old with a toy guitar, singing along with a Russian folk song_ **(Nikolai, voiceover)** “I always knew he would do well with music. He showed an interest at a very young age, so we made sure he took lessons on whatever instrument he wanted to try. He was the best at the guitar.” _Yura on interview set_ “My grandparents always supported whatever I wanted to do. A lot of kids my age don't like to be close to the adults in their family, but it's very important to me.” _Cut to Morooka in the pit with a group of Yura fans, some holding signs._

“Performing the 2001 hit by Train, “Drops of Jupiter”, here is Yura,” he announced, the fans around him waving their signs and cheering as the cameras zoomed from the wide shot of the stage, to where Yura was standing in the middle at the microphone.

He began to sing, eyes closed, seeming to already be connecting to the [lyrics](https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/train/dropsofjupiter.html) as his emotions already began to mix into his delivery, in particular the line “and did you miss me while you were looking for yourself out there”. The song went into the second verse and change and he began to walk around the stage, free hand balling into a fist periodically as he delivered the lines with even more emotion and force. The edit of the song had the second change connecting to the ending, with the background vocalists doing the “na na na” parts as Yura improvised. Showing the most emotion he had so far, he bounced in place as he hit the highest notes and stood, eyes closed for a few long moments after he sang his last note and the string section and band let the final note of the song fade out. Victor watched on the monitor that was in front of the chairs on the floor to their left, which gave them the closeup shots of the person performing as Yura squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head as if trying to stave off the emotions as he walked to his mark at center stage.

“Yura!” Minako called enthusiastically, her face then turning concerned a bit as she saw the teen seeming a bit out of sorts. “You okay there sweetie?” she asked gently; he nodded in response, taking a deep breath and squaring up his shoulders and facial expression. “This was an excellent song choice for you, with a challenging and expressive vocal that you took on really well. It suited your voice perfectly. You've grown so much since we first saw you, you're really developing into a great performer.”

“I really loved this too,” Celestino agreed. “After last week I think you learned you're capable of giving us a lot more with your delivery and you capitalized on that. This is a tough song to sing live and you had great control of your voice as well. Excellent job.”

“You continue to learn and take every accomplishment to heart. This performance absolutely shows how far you have come and I look forward to seeing how much farther you will go, but I think there is no limit to that,” Yakov said. “Your grandfather was quite smart to foster a love of music in you, because you are a natural talent.” Yura actually smiled at that, turning to the audience to seek out where Nikolai sat just off to the side of the judges' table in the first row, as he did for every live show each week and giving him a thumbs up.

Morooka came over then, commending Yura on his performance and reading off his voting information before sending him back to the chairs. “Up next, JJ takes on a Michael Bolton hit and Mila goes a different direction than what we've seen previously with a Sarah McLachlan classic. Stay tuned. THIS... is Superstar Grand Prix!”

Yura had sat down as Morooka was seguing to the commercial break, still seeming to be shaking off some emotion. Mila wrapped an arm around him as the other contestants, sans JJ who had left to prep for his performance, all devoted attention to him in their concern.

“Are you all right?” Yuri finally asked cautiously, knowing that Yura generally despised being seen as weak.

“Yeah, I'm good,” he replied. “I've just identified with that song for a long time even though it came out when I was born.”

“Why's that?” Yuri asked.

Yura didn't answer immediately, first sighing hard and seeming to weigh his answer. Finally, he responded, staring down at his folded hands as they rested on his knees. “When I sing it, it's about my mother.”

Yuri went back in his mind to the **[lyrics](https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/train/dropsofjupiter.html) ** of the very popular song that he'd heard many times himself over the years; he could see the others doing so as well, and the recognition dawning in their faces, as he was sure it was in his. It all made sense now; Yura had more or less taken a cue from Victor's performance the week before, and the gamble had paid off with a solid performance.

“And we are back,” Morooka began, standing at center stage as the show returned from break. “Our next performer is no stranger to the stage, and his family can definitely vouch for that. Let's take a look at this feature on Jean-Jacques.”

 _JJ on interview set_ “I was born in 1997 and I'm the oldest of my siblings. My parents met while they were backing musicians for Celine Dion, and my brother and sister are also musicians.” _Footage provided by JJ's parents of the family performing together as a band_ **(JJ's mother, voiceover)** “JJ was always very ambitious and always sang the loudest in the children's choir. They gave him most of the solos because he always had the strongest voice.” _Footage of JJ singing in his church children's choir, then again in the present day_ **(JJ, voiceover)** “I learned the most about performing in front of people in the church choir, where everyone is always really supportive. I'm also in the church band, we play for services on Sundays.” _Footage of JJ playing guitar in the church band_. _Cut to shot of JJ's parents at their home. JJ's mom:_ “We've always known JJ would be a star someday. He's been around music since he was little, in fact we took him on tour with us so I think it's probably in his blood by this point.” _Shot of JJ on the interview set_ “I'm learning more about myself through this whole experience and the biggest thing is that no matter what I do, I need to keep it to _makes two J's with his fingers)_ JJ Style!!!” _Cut to Morooka at stage right._

“Performing Michael Bolton's 1997 song for the movie Hercules entitled “Go The Distance”, here is JJ!” Morooka introduced. As the song began with a flourish JJ swept his arms along with each one before settling into the song. The [lyrics](https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/michaelbolton/gothedistance.html) were in a similar vein to a few other song's he'd done and he fell into a rather theatrical presentation, with a lot of gesturing and emoting into the cameras. As he went into the first chorus he moved to the front of the stage where many of the fans in the pit reached up hoping for a hand touch or shake, but he opted to stay focused on the song. The edit cut to the two-line change and then the modulation leading into the final reprise of the chorus, the full orchestra kicking in as he performed with even more theatrical emotion. The edit of the song ended at the conclusion of the final bombastic chorus rather than with the quietly-sung final lines and JJ took that to his advantage, standing at center stage with arms stretched out above his head, palms up and head back as the flourish came to an end. The crowd broke into applause and cheers and he bowed with several more theatrical flourishes before heading to the mark at center stage, still grinning brightly.

“Well JJ, I do think this was a good song choice for you,” Celestino began. “Although I think the presentation was beefed up a bit from what we saw in the dress rehearsal footage.” He cast a glance over to Emil, sitting in the front row to the right of the judges' table with Lilia, his face slightly annoyed. “I do think that the background you come from musically has a lot to do with your presentation, but you need to learn to adjust that for different situations. Your vocal was very good but I feel like it was overshadowed a bit.”

“I agree with Celestino,” Minako said. “While this was quite a bit more subdued, I guess you could say, than your last few performances I feel like you were trying to compete a bit too much with another performance we've seen tonight. The difference is that one came naturally. If you force your presentation of the song, unless you're in an actual musical where it's warranted, it's going to take away from your delivery because people are not going to pay attention to your voice.”

“Let your talent speak for itself and the rest will follow. You know this, utilize it,” Yakov said in conclusion. “You continue to overshadow your talent with bravado, and I fear it will wear thin soon.”

As Morooka walked over to center stage to read off JJ's voting information JJ shifted nervously back and forth on his feet, biting at his lower lip. Once Morooka commended him on his performance he sent him back to the chairs and continued on.

“Our next contestant was born just before the turn of the millennium, which I think is an appropriate grand entrance all things considered. Let's check in with Mila.” He turned to the screen at stage center as the video began.

 _Mila on the interview set_ “I was born in 1999. My parents like to say they decided to party like the Prince song said to.” (laughs) _Cut to shot of Mila's mother speaking, then to footage of Mila singing into a toy microphone around age three_ **(Mila's mother, first on camera then in voiceover)** “Mila was always singing, even when she was a tiny baby. She was always (imitates baby vocalizations) much before she could even talk. She especially did it whenever I had any kind of music playing, so I knew she would do something with music when she grew up.” _Footage of Mila singing with her band_ **(Mila's mother, voiceover)** As soon as I could afford to I got her singing lessons and also dancing lessons because she enjoyed dancing like the pop stars do. She was very good at both and I knew I made the right choice.” _Mila on interview set_ “My family has always been very supportive of me and they were all very excited when I got sent to Hollywood. They text me after every show to tell me what they thought of my performances. It's something I'm very happy to have, even if they don't always like it!” (laughs) _Cut to Morooka at stage right._

“Singing the 1999 hit for Sarah McLachlan titled 'Angel', here is Mila,” Morooka introduced, the stage lighting fading to a moody deep blue with touches of purple as Takeshi began playing the piano, which Mila was leaning against where the shape of the piano curved. Her voice carried across the quiet studio as she sang, moving from her lower midrange to falsetto for occasional notes in the chorus. Instead of going to the second verse, the edit of the song included a bit of piano interlude before reprising the chorus once more, during which Mila seemed to get even more emotional while keeping her voice sensitive and gentle. The song ended with a last few soft piano notes from Takeshi that rang out as the stage dimmed to just leave Mila in silhouette with blue lighting behind her with the audience taking a moment to respond after being entranced by her vocal, after which they erupted into applause and cheers as she walked up to the mark at center stage.

“Mila, I absolutely loved this. I love that you can go from rocker chick to sensitive vocals like this so effortlessly,” Minako began. “You have such amazing control over your voice as well. It's very hard to sing softly in that range and you held the notes very well. Great job.”

“You have a really gorgeous tone. Not everyone can pull this song off, especially with it being so bare bones that any mistake you make is going to show,” Celestino continued. “I think this was a perfect counterpoint to last week's performance and it really shows off your versatility.”

“You adapt your presence and vocals to the song, rather than trying to force it into something it is not,” Yakov said. “You have an excellent sense of how to present a song properly. This was a most excellent performance and a vocal that was quite stellar.”

Morooka came over to center stage then. “Really gorgeous performance Mila, thank you very much,” he said before sending her back to the chairs. “When we come back from the break Yuri will perform a Number One Billboard hit, and Victor will take us back to the 80s. Stay tuned... THIS... is Superstar Grand Prix!”

Mila was just returning to her seat as Yuri was rising to head over to center stage, so she gave him a quick hug for luck before sitting down. She looked over and saw Victor seeming a bit emotional so she walked over to where he was seated at the end of the bottom row.

“Are you okay?” she asked in Russian.

Victor nodded with a bit of a wry smirk. “Yes, I'm fine. It's just a little emotional seeing things about everyone's families,” he replied in Russian as well.

Mila leaned in to hug him then, which he returned; she continued to speak in Russian. “When you don't have the family you want, sometimes you find it in other places. I mean, you have a baby sister now,” she said with a wink. “You're not getting rid of me too easy you know.”

Victor smiled at that. “That's good to know. But that means I have to approve everyone you date because I'm the big brother,” he replied.

“Even Sara?” she giggled.

He looked over to Sara, who was talking with Chris and Yura. “Nah, Sara's good,” he nodded as the call for 10 seconds to live went out, sending everyone back to their seats both onstage and in the audience.

“And we are back,” Morooka said as the cameras panned to him sitting with Lilia and Emil in the front row. “I'm here with our in-house vocal coach Lilia Baranovskaya, and our performance mentor Emil Nekola. What are your thoughts on the show thus far?”

“We have seen some very strong vocals,” Lilia said. “The best thing about our contestants is that they are willing to try new things, even if it is intimidating at first. That is why we have had so many excellent performances in the first few weeks of live shows. Tonight is no exception.”

“So far I think the performances have represented the songs well,” Emil continued; Victor mused to himself that he was clearly being a bit diplomatic considering his previous reaction to one performance in particular. “It's always fun to work with these guys because they offer their own ideas about how they want to portray the songs, so it's a team effort which is my favorite way to work.”

“All right, some words of wisdom from our behind the scenes team,” Morooka said. “And now, back to business. Our next performer has been studying music in the US for five years and has always aspired to be a performer. Let's learn a bit more about Yuri.”

 _Yuri on the interview set_ “I started dancing at age six, I took up ballet first. But I was always interested in music too, so I eventually started taking piano and guitar lessons later on, and finally voice. But for a long time ballet was my first love.” _Footage provided by his family of Yuri dancing ballet, then a few other more modern styles as well. Cut to shot of his sister Mari in the dining room of the family onsen_ “Yuri always had a lot of very big dreams, and he knew that if he wanted to make them happen he had to go somewhere that was bigger than just Japan. So he decided to go to school in Detroit for the performing arts. It was a big deal because he was only 18 and he had not been away from home much. I was really proud of him for doing it though.” _Footage of Mari and their parents watching Yuri on the show, the week of his “Stronger” performance_ **(Yuri, voiceover)** “My family has a viewing party every week when the show is on. When we're done I always have a video message on my phone of them watching me.” _Cut to Yuri on interview set_ “I haven't been able to go home since I moved here for school, so it helps to know they're rooting for me from halfway around the world.” _Cut to Morooka seated in front row with Lilia and Emil_

“Performing a song that was a Number One hit on the Billboard charts for the band Mr. Big in the year of his birth, 1992, here is Yuri with 'To Be With You'.”

The cameras cut to Yuri standing at center stage with Takeshi and the band's lead guitarist, both on acoustic guitars, and their drummer who was using a [cajón](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caj%C3%B3n) to keep the beat as well. Yuri had decided against playing guitar to focus on the vocal, singing the song solo instead. The audience began clapping along as Victor, Phichit and Mila started to, at which Victor turned toward the crowd to encourage it.

As he moved into the second verse the tone of conviction in Yuri's voice became that much more clear as he began to emote more, holding onto the microphone with one hand and gesturing to emphasize his words with the other:

 _Build up your confidence_  
_So you can be on top for once_  
_Wake up! Who cares about_  
_Little boys that talk too much_

___As the second chorus came up Takeshi and his bandmates took up singing the chorus as Yuri improvised a bit as on the original recording. As the change arrived, Yuri felt his eyes close, projecting his words out to someone in particular that he hoped would catch on:_ _ _

_Why be alone_  
_When we could be together, baby_  
_You can make my life worthwhile_  
_I can make you start to smile_

There was a four-bar abbreviated guitar solo cut for time that then segued into the final change and chorus. As Takeshi and his bandmates continued to sing the main melody Yuri hit a surprising, clear high note for the first improvised line with “I'm the one”, then continued to improvise to the end of the song, ending with the a capella, falsetto high note that many in the audience, who had also been singing along as well as clapping, also attempted to replicate with mixed results. The attempt still made Yuri break into a grin. The crowd erupted into cheers as Yuri returned Takeshi's high-five before heading to the mark at center stage.

“Yuri! Man this is one of my all-time favorite songs. I actually am friends with the singer of this band and he's going to love this performance. Perfect vocal. I thought your recorded track was amazing but you sounded even better here,” Celestino said, which made Yuri blush bright red and cover his mouth with a hand. “I'm just curious why you didn't play guitar on this.”

“Because I think everyone would have expected it,” Yuri replied. “I wanted to focus on my vocal for this, so Takeshi and I decided to have the band play the song.”

“I think this was the perfect song choice for you,” Minako said. “And I think not playing guitar was smart, because we got to see a bit of you opening up more as you sang. This song is completely vocal-driven and some people are intimidated by that but you dove right in and knocked it out of the park. Love love loved it.”

“I approve of you thinking out of the box,” Yakov said. “You know your strengths and weaknesses, but the weaknesses are very few and diminishing with each performance. This was the first time I felt you were comfortable without an instrument. This was a solid, confident vocal and presented tastefully. My favorite performance of the night so far.” Yuri blushed again at that and gave a little bow of thanks.

Morooka came up to Yuri then and gave him a pat on the back, commending him before giving out his voting information. As Yuri began to make his way back to the chairs Victor was heading over for his performance. Yuri reached out and gave Victor a high-five behind Morooka as he passed, the audience reacting with a few cheers which made Morooka look behind him as he prepared to move to the next introduction.

“Good to see our contestants getting along even in the midst of competition,” he smiled. “Our next performance comes from a man who has become known as the rocker of our Superstars. Let's take a look at this feature on Victor.”

 _Cut to Victor on interview set_ “I am very often called the grandpa in the Superstar house, because I am the oldest. I am 29, and I was born on December 25 th, 1988. I get called a Christmas baby by people who celebrate that. I don't really celebrate my birthday but this past one everyone in the Superstar house gave me a party, which was something I hadn't had in a long time.” _Cut to footage from Victor's mother of him dancing ballet around age 16_ **(Victor's mother, voiceover)** Victor showed a lot of talent from a very young age. We put him in dancing classes when he was five years old, and he took to it very well. By the time he was in his late teens he was dancing prominently in many of his company's productions.” _Cut to footage of Victor performing with his band in a club in St. Petersburg_ **(Victor, voiceover)** “Dancing ultimately didn't work out, but I had also been taking piano lessons and voice lessons for many years. I taught myself to play guitar as well. But eventually I came to enjoy music much more than dancing. It's also something that you can do much longer because it doesn't wear down your body like dancing can.” _Cut to Victor on interview set_ “I am very happy with where life is taking me now. No matter what happens after this, it is something I can build on and that's more than I ever dreamed I would have.” _Cut to Morooka at center stage._

“This song was a Number One Billboard hit in 1988 for Van Halen. Performing 'When It's Love', here's Victor!”

Victor had, as he'd said previously, put his in-ear monitors into his ears before the video clip had begun, listening to the last minute instructions from Takeshi and Seung Gil rather than the footage; he had also kept his back turned to the screen. As the band began an abbreviated version of the intro to the song Victor squared up his shoulders, his rock star persona taking over as he began to sing the first verse with perhaps a bit more emotion than was needed, but not overly done. He gestured with palm up to the crowd for the first line of the second verse “you look at every face in the crowd” which caused cheers and squeals as he made brief eye contact with a few fans in the front row. After the second chorus the edited version of the song went into the change, the melody line going up higher until he sang the last line of it bent back, free hand balled into a fist as the song went into the final chorus, singing it with an almost joyous emotion, a smile on his face. Rather than going into the improvised “jam” at the end of the recorded version the song ended with the music softening at the end of the reprised chorus, with Victor improvising a few lines before the music came to an end. The audience erupted into loud screams and cheers as Victor continued to grin, happy with his performance; he looked over to the chairs to see Yuri blushing fiercely, shooting him a wink as he walked over to the center stage mark.

“Victor!!” Celestino grinned. “I have been waiting for a chance to hear you do an 80s rock classic and you couldn't have picked a better one. The vocal is challenging but you pulled this off flawlessly. I'm starting to think you were born in the wrong era because you are really a classic rock star.”

“I really liked this song for you and you sang it very well,” Minako said. “But I almost feel like it was a bit too predictable. When we had 80s week you instead went to a New Wave song when we expected a rock song from you, so I feel like maybe you should have done that again here. Regardless, this was a great performance but I honestly don't think it's possible for you to do anything less.” The crowd reacted with a smattering of boos, unusual as generally Minako's opinions weren't contested. Victor smiled and said into the microphone to the crowd, “It's okay” with a friendly wave.

“I disagree with Minako,” Yakov said. “Up until now you have worked very hard to surprise us at every turn. Once in a while it is good to stay in your comfort zone. You picked a song with an interesting vocal that still showed off your range and gave us a definitive look at who you are as a performer. This was a very good performance for you and a perfect song choice.”

The crowd applauded Yakov's critique as Morooka came over, shaking Victor's hand in congratulations before reading off his voting information before an addition to his normal monologue. “I'd also like to note that you can see behind the scenes footage of Victor's birthday celebration on the Superstar Grand Prix website at superstargrandprix.com/extras.” He turned to Victor then and thanked him for his performance before sending him off to the chairs. “When we come back we'll have the final two performances of the evening. Phichit will return to form with a mid-90s classic, and Sara will have some fun, after the break.”

Victor came over and sat down just as Phichit rose to head to center stage, giving him a low-five as he jogged off. He then sat down next to Yuri, who was still bright red.

“Yuurriiiiii what's wrong?” he asked playfully.

“It's just... that's... well it's one of my favorite 80s songs...” Yuri could tell by Victor's expression that he'd probably found that out from Phichit, as the other man flashed him his trademark wink from beneath the ever-present lock of silver hair.

“Well I'm glad you enjoyed it, and that I could make you start to smile,” Victor said with yet another wink, causing Yuri to flush an even brighter red. As they interacted Chris stole a few glances at the crowd; several in the front row in view of the contestants' chairs were talking amongst themselves excitedly. The audience was not allowed the use of cell phones, but Chris was sure the rumors would be flying as soon as they'd walked out of the theater doors.

“And we are back with the first of the two final performances of the night,” Morooka said as the show returned from break. “Our next contestant has had a lot of catching up to do as far as current music, but he's done a pretty great job. Let's learn a bit more about Phichit.”

 _Phichit on the interview set_ “I'm one of the youngin's here, I was born in 1996. I'm the second youngest. Growing up in Thailand, we didn't always hear a lot of popular music from the US or the UK. So I grew up with Thai music and our local pop stars and theatrical scores. It wasn't until I went to school in the US that I started listening to international pop music.” _Cut to footage of Phichit performing in a talent show around age 10, provided by his family_ **(Phichit's father, voiceover)** “Phichit has always had a strong idea of what he has wanted to do. He has always loved music and performing and as he got older, he knew that if he wanted to make it he would have to move away from Thailand. I was very proud of him for being so brave to move away on his own.” _Cut to Phichit performing in a musical in college in Detroit_ **(Phichit, voiceover)** “I knew the music from some of the biggest foreign musicals that came to Bangkok that my mom and dad took me to see. But it was like a whole new world _pauses, sings the first line of the Alladin song, laughs at himself_ when I moved here.” _Cut to Morooka in the pit with fans._

“Performing the Gin Blossoms' 1996 hit 'Follow You Down', here's Phichit!” Morooka introduced. The band started into the upbeat song with an abbreviated version of the intro, Phichit already bouncing around with his microphone, one hand on the mic and the other holding the stand as he sang the first verse while canvassing the stage. He set the mic stand down and pulled the mic out for the first chorus, walking up to the edge of the stage and singing into the crowd, evoking squeals and outstretched hands. The edit of the song went from the first chorus into the change, the backing music a bit lower as Phichit sang, his voice softening to accommodate the temporary change in mood before it went back into one more reprise of the chorus, the band ending with a flourish of drums and power chords as Phichit randomly spun the microphone stand like a baton in his hands before setting it back down.

Minako had been dancing along in her chair during Phichit's performance, and was still applauding as he took his mark at center stage. “This was such a fun performance!” she grinned. “It's a difficult song to sing because there aren't a lot of places for catch breaths, I got tired just watching you,” she laughed. “This is the perfect type of song for you and this was very well done.”

“I think you're a rocker too, just from a different era,” Celestino said. “It seems like you excel the most at songs that are in a rock genre and this was no exception. I really liked this for you and I think you could kick it up a notch if you were playing guitar on it too.”

“Week after week you choose songs that play to your strengths and then utilize them to just the right amounts,” Yakov said. “You have a very infectious stage presence and you are a natural at interacting with your audience. Excellent performance.”

Morooka came over to Phichit, giving him a pat on the shoulder of approval as he read off his voting information and sent him back to the chairs, then proceeded to the final introduction of the evening.

“Our last performance of the night comes from one of the first people we saw in our audition process. She's come a very long way since then and tonight she's going to try something a bit different. But first, here's a bit more about Sara.”

 _Cut to Sara on interview set_ My brother Michele and I are twins and he is a few minutes older than me. We were born in 1994. _Cut to Sara and Michele singing in a school program around age 8, then to Michele on the interview set_ “Sara and I were pretty inseparable for a very long time. The time she has been on the show is the longest we've ever been apart. I've always been very protective of her because she is my little sister, but it has also made me very proud to see how much she has grown from this experience.” _Sara on the interview set_ “I think it was maybe a little harder for Mickey to see me move on in the show at first. But at the end of the day we both have always supported each other no matter what happens. He was the one who talked me into auditioning because he thought I could do well, and I'll always be happy that he did.” _Cut to Morooka at judges' table._

“Singing Sheryl Crow's 1994 hit 'All I Wanna Do', here is Sara,” Morooka announced.

As the song began Sara began to do the semi-spoken intro... and even though she felt the words coming out, a few dropped out as her throat, which had gotten progressively more sore during the course of the show, cut out as she attempted to continue the banter. She'd been warming up with Lilia backstage before her performance after the vocal rest and had even downed a cup of Emil's Throat Coat tea, but despite this the performance had not started off well. The distraction was enough for her to stumble on a few words, but she recovered nicely into the first chorus. Her voice cleared up a bit and she regained more control into the second verse, talk-singing again as the edit went into the change and then a reprise of the edited-down final chorus, both of which were more singing than speaking and felt easier for her to maintain. She ended the song much better than she'd begun it, but she had already begun to steel herself for the inevitable negative critique as she stepped up to the mark.

“Sara, I know you've been sick and Lilia has been working with you to get you through this week,” Minako began. “But I think even if you were well, I don't know that this was a good song choice for you. It really doesn't do a lot to show off your vocal range at all. I'm kind of surprised at you picking this to be honest.”

“I think it would have been a lot more engaging and fun if you'd been feeling better,” Celestino said. “But it's obvious you're not able to give the usual 100 percent we're used to from you. A song like this actually merits some interesting presentation but without that, you still remained professional and got through it. It got better toward the end. The only thing I'd say as far as it not being a great choice was that straight singing would have been easier to control as far as melody with being sick, but I'm sure you weren't sick when you chose the song.” Sara shook her head in response, biting at her lower lip.

“It is very difficult to work through illness, but you performed well enough,” Yakov said. “I do think it was a very simple song for you, but it was a risk and I appreciate that you took it. Your recorded track is quite good and I hope people will listen to it, because I think you would have done quite well on this had you not fallen ill.”

Morooka wrapped an arm around Sara's shoulders in consolation as he read off her voting information, then directed the audience both in the studio and at home to watch the recap of the contestants' performances. As soon as they were cued to head to center stage Mila came over to Sara, hugging her tightly as she fought back a few tears and noting that she felt feverish. Victor and Yuri flanked the two women, with Victor draping an arm across their shoulders protectively, concerned that Sara seemed to have become more sick during the course of the show.

“And that's our show for tonight folks. Don't forget, if you want your favorite to stay in _you have to vote!_ And don't forget that all the iTunes tracks also count as one vote per purchase. All methods of voting are now open, so get to it! We will see you back here tomorrow for the results, with a special performance by our very own performance mentor Emil Nekola, who will be debuting his new solo single for the first time anywhere on our stage. Until then, goodnight everybody. Morooka – out!

 

 

**Superstar Mansion, Post-Performance Show**

Christophe had been teasing Victor for the past half-hour ever since Victor had discovered his and Yuri's hashtags on Twitter had exploded with speculation and fans “screaming” over the possibility that #Victuri was, in fact, actually real.

“I knew it would happen. I saw a few audience members in the front row watching you and Yuri, and now it's all over Twitter that you both just _have_ to be dating,” he said. “So I think it's about time the two of you just stop dancing around the obvious and embrace it... and each other.”

“I don't want to push Yuri,” Victor said, flopping back onto his bed with a sigh. “Everything is still pretty tentative. Right now he's in his comfort zone when he can focus on the show. He stresses out too easily about other things when they interfere and I want him to do his best. Otherwise he'll beat himself up about it if he stumbles.”

“At the rate the two of you are going the show will be over before anything happens. But then again the thought of romance developing on the world tour is rather intriguing,” Chris said.

“We'll go at our own pace. There's obviously something there, but I don't want to push it. If it's meant to happen, it will,” Victor replied.

“Oh, so you won't be utterly devastated if he decides he's not that into you,” Chris deadpanned.

Victor looked over at Chris, silent for a few long moments. “I didn't say that,” he finally said.

“Well then I suggest you at least do that much. Tell him how you feel already,” Chris said emphatically.

“I think we both know how we feel. We both said we'd meet the other where they are. That's where we stand. I'm fine with that,” Victor said, his tone giving a finality to the discussion.

Chris sighed dramatically then, pulling his blankets over him and turning off the light on his bedside table. “Try to give a man some good advice and what does it get me?” he moaned.

Victor had to laugh at that as he heard his phone chime the familiar text sound of his choreographer friend Alexei. He sat up, gathering up the phone and poking his feet into his slippers then adding a t-shirt to the pajama bottoms he was wearing.

“Go to sleep, I'm sure the world will be fine if I don't propose to Yuri on national television,” he chided, evoking a laugh from the other man as Victor headed out of the room, still too wound up to sleep himself.

As he headed down the hallway toward the second floor terrace he noted that Phichit and Yuri's door was already closed; he paused to press his ear to it and heard no conversation from inside. He stopped to check in on Sara, who Mila told him was already asleep but still quite upset at how her performance had turned out; her fever had gone down once she'd gotten her overdue dose of antibiotics taken after the show. Yura appeared to be downstairs with Nikolai as his room was unoccupied, having lost his roommate Otabek two weeks prior. He'd even entertained the thought of checking in on JJ but the Canadian's door was already closed for the night. He then adjourned to the terrace, the warm night breeze rustling the trees and the LED candle on the table giving a bit of atmosphere as he sat down alone to read the text from his friend,

 **Alexei:** Great job tonight. Really liked the song, don't care what the judges said.

 **Victor:** Yeah, I mean I get what they said, but once in a while you can surprise people by doing the opposite of what they expect. Everyone probably thought I'd go for another unusual song but I'd seen a lot of fans wanting me to do the one I chose, so I did it.

 **Alexei:** You'll be safe, I'm sure.

Victor was about to respond, when his screen changed to the incoming call marked “unknown” for the caller, but with a Russian phone number. Not recognizing the number and figuring it was one of the many spammers that still managed to find him halfway around the world, he declined the call and continued to text with Alexei until the tone for a received voicemail sounded. He opened the voicemail screen then the message, putting the phone to his ear.

Two words in, he dropped the phone, startling himself as it clattered on the table, the faint sounds of the message still playing. After a few moments he picked up the phone and started it over again, this time more prepared for the recorded voice speaking in Russian on the other end.

“ _Vitya, it is your mother, Evgenia. Your father does not know I am calling. I kept your number from another time you tried to call because my phone number changed. I want you to know I am watching, and that I am very proud of you. I found the videos you made online as well of your music and I like them all very much. I will try to call again another time, I can only do it when your father is working. If he sees you calling he will block the number. Keep being yourself, because the world loves who you are... just like I do. It is good to know you are reaching your goals. I must go now. Sleep well, Vitya.”_

 

 

**Website Special Content – Happy Birthday Victor!**

_Wide shot of the outside of the Superstar Mansion from the interim time between Hollywood Week and live shows, then some interior shots with a few modest Christmas decorations to set the time frame. Cut to shot of Leo:_ “So today is Christmas Day for some of us, because not everyone here does. But even though the others don't we still got them a little gift so they weren't left out.” _Some footage of Leo, Sara, Christophe and JJ exchanging gifts in the morning, still in pajamas and being silly by acting like kids to play it up for the cameras by a small Christmas tree in the television viewing room._

 _Cut to shot of Mila and Yura. Mila:_ “We don't celebrate Christmas yet. Our big holiday is New Year's Day, then on the Russian Orthodox calendar, Christmas is January 7, so we'll celebrate then. The Christmas tree we have will be used for our New Year's tree because that's what we do in Russia.” _Yura: “_ But today is another special day because it's Victor's birthday. He says he hasn't had a birthday party since he was young, so we are going to change that.” _Shots of Nikolai making piroshki and Yuri making katsudon, with help from Yura and Minami respectively. Otabek:_ “We had some help from the producers to get Victor out of the house for a couple of hours so we could get everything ready. He is off doing some interview footage for the show, but he should be back very soon. Everything is almost ready.” _Shots of Leo and Sara hanging up a “Happy Birthday” banner and setting out balloons in the dining room, which is also modestly decorated for Christmas with some lighted pine garlands._

 _Cut to a shot of Victor getting off the shuttle bus in the front of the house; he turns to the camera as it follows him with Seung Gil in tow. Victor:_ “You guys are stalking me now, go away!” _Laughs as he heads inside; the foyer and lower hall is uncharacteristically empty. He looks around frowning curiously, then looks at his watch. Victor:_ “Ah, it's dinnertime, everyone's probably in the dining room.” _The camera follows him as he walks through the house; cut to everyone huddled together waiting, then to him walking in the door as they all yell “Happy Birthday!” He covers his face, doubling over a bit in surprise, then looks around at everything. Victor:_ “Oh my god you guys are crazy!!” _Tries to hide that he's tearing up but fails as everyone hugs him. Cut to scenes of everyone eating dinner, including Victor trying the katsudon for the first time. He eats a bite with Yuri sitting next to him, pausing to swallow. Victor:_ “Vkusno! _(English subtitle onscreen: Delicious!)_ Oh my god, this is amazing. Is this what gods eat?” _Everyone breaks into laughter. More quick cuts of Victor opening gifts from everyone, and the Russian members of the group singing a[Russian birthday song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4ill5KZb0g) that everyone else is clapping along to as Yura plays an acoustic guitar._

 _Final shot of Victor, with the dinner table in the background as everyone still converses and celebrates. Victor:_ “I never really made a big deal about my birthday since I was young and my mom still did parties for me. As I got older I was usually too busy to bother and then I just didn't anymore.” _Pauses as he tears up a bit._ “I didn't expect this today at all but it really means a lot to me. Everyone here is becoming like a family now, and it's really special that people from different backgrounds and cultures can all still be friends. I think I'll remember this birthday for a very long time.” _The shot stays on him as he turns his face away from the camera a bit to wipe at his eyes; Mila comes up behind him and hugs him, kissing his cheek; the hug is joined by Yuri, which makes Victor smile through his tears._

_Fade to final shot of the outside of the mansion at night, with lighted pine garlands strung across the front entrance. Fade to black._

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I unfortunately wasn't able to get this finished in time to post closer to Victor's birthday, but better late than never right? :)
> 
> I hope everyone has a happy and safe New Year's Eve and New Year's Day! The [playlist](https://open.spotify.com/user/fallbackintome/playlist/0jJjh4a3fv5oXd7iSJMhSH) has been updated with this week's songs and as always, I am at @AslanKatsuki on Twitter and @HuntressFirefall on Tumblr. See you next time!


	12. Results - Week Five and Live Shows - Week Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “There is more talent on that stage right now than I see on the charts at present,” Yakov said. “I could not be more happy with what I am seeing so far, and we are not done yet.”

**Morning of Results Show**

“Wow... that's... pretty incredible. I mean, I wouldn't know what to do with it either at first, but it's a huge step forward.”

Yuri was out on the terrace with Victor in what had become their usual meeting place. The Russian had seemed very out of sorts at breakfast, having attempted to stay with the group for their morning meal but ultimately giving up and taking his plate up to what had become his favorite place for alone time in the house. Yuri had immediately followed him up, suspecting something was amiss – but he hadn't expected something to this level.

“It's just... I mean... I always kind of thought that it was my father that had made the decision to tell me to leave. He always steamrolled my mom, ruled the house with an iron fist. I was never close to him. I sometimes would hear them fighting about him still paying for my dancing lessons and all the other stuff I took. He always said that I should grow up doing things a man would do, that I would be the one responsible for the house when I was grown. But the compromise was always 'if you become successful at this you will still support us.' But then he didn't like who I was as a person... and that changed everything,” Victor said, his voice soft and a bit rough; he'd previously told Yuri that he hadn't gotten much sleep due to the shock of hearing his mother's voice again after nearly a decade.

“So it's pretty dangerous for her to do this,” he continued. “I don't know what will happen if he finds out. How they even got her to be in the video segment I'm not sure. The only thing I can think of is that she may have found a way out. She'd talked about it when I was younger, that she would love to take me to Moscow where there was a better chance for me to make it in dancing. But my father wouldn't let us go and be apart from him, even though it's something that's done pretty frequently especially in the sports world.”

“I wonder...” Yuri paused then, hesitant to voice his next thought. Victor turned to him, a curious frown over his face, then angling his head inquisitively which encouraged Yuri to continue. “I wonder... if Yakov could find out anything. I mean... maybe he could help. He's pretty important.”

“The thing is though, if anyone found out he was helping me in any way outside of the show, I could get disqualified,” Victor said. “If I did anything like that, it would have to be after I was eliminated.”

“Or the show ends,” Yuri said. “You're going to win this thing so I don't see you going anywhere.”

At that, Victor buried his face in his hands. “The thing that scares me is that not knowing what's happening, I don't know if there's time to wait that long. If she has found a way out, she may only have one shot you know?”

“He... wouldn't do anything to her would he?” Yuri asked, apprehension in his tone.

“No... he was never like that... never physical. It was all mental, all controlling. If you didn't live his way, then he'd restrict you until you did. For example he knew exactly how long it took me to get home from my lessons after school. If I wasn't walking in the door exactly at the time I should be, I was stripped of privileges like television. It was dinner, homework, bed. I ended up never making any real friends, because if I stopped to talk to even one before I left the dance studio, I would be late coming home and then there would be hell to pay. Just very strict. With my mother it was the same way. She would have exactly so much time to go to the supermarket, things like that. So if she has found some way to get out... it's going to have to be very carefully planned. It will have to be something that she can do within the realm of things she does every day. It would be worse if she failed though because she'd have also lied to him and... well you just didn't do that.” He sighed heavily then, burying his face in his hands again. “If I was home, I at least could have tried to meet with her, tried to help. But now I'm farther away than I ever have been from home... and with no way to know... I'm... I'm scared. Afraid for her. Maybe I'm overthinking. Maybe the phone call was just that, something she did in the middle of the night that he wouldn't be able to find out about. But... it still gives me a little hope for her, no matter how frightening it is.”

Yuri wrapped his arms around Victor then, with the other man returning the embrace and pressing his face into Yuri's shoulder. “I just want her to be happy, for at least some of the life she's got left. I don't know what all this whole experience will bring me in the way of money... but if nothing else I hope I can do something for her, even if it's just getting her away from him. I hadn't really thought about it before but now that she's reached out... I'm hoping I can find a way,” Victor said, his voice muffled into Yuri's shirt.

Yuri rubbed Victor's back as he talked, holding him tightly. He could feel the tension in Victor's muscles, the slight tremble in his body as he breathed. Victor had been the rock out of everyone in the house; the one who encouraged everyone, was always the one with the positive attitude. Seeing him this vulnerable made Yuri want to protect him – for a few reasons. Yuri knew all too well how things like this could derail a person, and seeing a crack in Victor's unflappable persona was especially concerning.

“I wish I could be more help,” Yuri finally said, chin resting on Victor's shoulder as he continued to hold him. “I wish I could relate more in some way to this...”

“No, this isn't something anyone should have in common,” Victor said. “Just... you being here with me is more than I've ever had.” He pulled back then, hands on Yuri's shoulders. “I may have been the cheerleader in the house all this time, but letting people in like this was never something I did. I only really started to connect to people after I was out of my family's home and even then, I only had one or two I could trust. Now... this is the closest to family I've had, and you... you've been that and more. And I can't thank you enough for that.”

  
  


  
  


**Pre-Show Production Meeting, Eros Entertainment Complex**

Celestino nursed the grande black coffee with extra espresso that had become his go-to on show mornings as he sat down in the conference room. The meetings were necessary, and the free doughnuts and bagels couldn't be argued with, but he had to admit to himself that he wouldn't miss the early mornings he'd been keeping since the show began. Even if the judges didn't see the contestants every day, there was always something going on regarding the show and as such, the three judges had been doing just as much work as the contestants behind the scenes. As he munched on a cheese danish Minako came in, looking on point as always. She sat down, her own coffee in hand.

“Is this the week we both quit?” Celestino laughed. “I feel like we say this every week.”

“I don't want to quit once I'm awake,” Minako laughed. “It's just dragging myself out of bed on these very non-music-artist hours that's killing me. But once the caffeine kicks in I'm good.”

“So how did you feel about last night's show overall?” Celestino asked.

“I think Sara phoned it in because she's not feeling well, from what I can tell. Which... you don't do that. You still push even if you're sick because people expect a certain level from you. I think that bothered me more than her lackluster performance.”

“Yeah, the one thing some of these kids haven't learned yet is not giving up just because one little thing goes wrong. Phichit was a good example of that, he fought through those guitar tech issues during Beatles Week and still killed it.”

Minako nodded as she chewed on a bite of bagel, washing it down with her coffee. “It's getting easier to tell who gets it and who doesn't. Aside from one in particular, the eliminations from here on out are going to get harder to deal with because everyone is so good.”

Celestino snorted at her mention of the one weak link. “I honestly can't tell if JJ is cocky enough to think he's going to win with the bullshit he's pulling, or if he's scared to death. I can't read him.”

“That's still no excuse for not listening to the advice he gets,” Minako replied, her tone irritated. “So I'm thinking he's growing an ego. I mean, we saw that from the time he walked in the door for his audition, but now he does his thing which is fine, but you should do your thing in the parameters that you're given when you're as green as he is. He should be soaking all this shit in and learning from it and I'm not seeing that happening.”

Seung Gil entered the room then, his own coffee in hand and immediately grabbing his usual chocolate cream doughnut from the tray. “I can tell you're talking about JJ just by the last few words,” he said as he sat down.

“Yeah... I'm kind of over his shit and I honestly can say I won't be upset if he goes home,” Celestino said. “Time to let the big guns take over.”

“The crazy thing is, the worse he does, the more his fans push for him,” Seung Gil said. “His fan base is ride or die which is all well and good, but very often it's to the detriment of the other fan bases. They're always antagonizing Victor's fans especially. They seem to think that JJ is capturing even a speck of the natural charisma Victor has by overacting and over-emoting. They somehow think he can beat him.”

Celestino nearly spit out the mouthful of coffee he was about to swallow, breaking into laughter once he did so. “I got news for them: No one is going to beat Victor. He's got this on lock whether he wants to admit it or not.”

“He's too humble for that,” Minako said. “Between him and Yuri, I honestly don't know who is more gracious and sweet. Though I think Yuri is probably more worried about getting eliminated because he's a major perfectionist. But for as much as he stresses over every detail, it never shows in his performances which is another thing JJ is trying to emulate, I think.”

“They do have a similar pattern of overthinking,” Seung Gil allowed. “But you're right, Yuri turns it into a positive in the end. Once he gets out there, he just falls into it and makes magic. JJ continues to worry right through the performance, to the point where he pushes too hard and it shows. Anyone who isn't a blind stan can see where he's going wrong.”

“Yuri knows he's talented. He knows he can pull it off, he just wants it to be perfect,” Celestino said. “He won't accept anything less of himself, which is a good thing but at the same time, sometimes being a bit rough around the edges isn't a bad thing. You don't want to look like a robot either.”

“Meanwhile JJ needs the constant validation and as soon as he doesn't get it he panics,” Minako said. “I see it all the time in young performers. It comes from growing up in an environment where you never received anything but praise. He doesn't know the difference between constructive criticism and being told what he's doing is shit. It's not, most of the time, but he's going about it the wrong way and it's frustrating to watch.”

“And all the other fan bases hate him as a result. I think his underlying talent is ultimately getting him saved every week, but his arrogance is not making him very likable. I had a talk with the editing department about his video segment this week because they sure made him look awful too. The fan chatter from everyone else's bases was quite negative,” Seung Gil said. “While his fans are claiming he's getting the 'bitch edit'. Up until this week I didn't think that but now I do.”

“Negativity isn't good for the show in any way,” Yakov said as he walked in with Morooka. “The fans are beginning to think we are keeping him here despite his being in the bottom most weeks of late. It was important to show his background and exactly why his personality is as it is.”

“But making the poor kid look bad on top of him obviously having issues dealing with this experience doesn't help,” Seung Gil shot back, a bit annoyed. “I don't even think he's friendly with the other contestants any more at this point.”

“You obviously don't remember his audition, when he walked in proclaiming himself the winner,” Minako reminded him. “I honestly don't think that video showed anything we didn't know about him. I remember seeing the rough footage of his family that got cut. Every single one of them said he was going to be the winner without the competition even having started. They've all blown smoke up his ass forever and now that he's getting resistance to all he's been told, he doesn't know how to handle it. That's essentially what's going on here. In that light I can see how enough people are seeing through that to keep him on.”

“We have to hope then that he can overcome that and start putting in performances that are solid instead of all over the place,” Morooka said. “There have already been a couple of thinkpieces questioning whether or not the eliminations are rigged because of how he keeps staying in. That's what we're here to discuss today actually, a change up that we're going to do tonight with the eliminations. We're going to try a method we discussed in development and see what the reaction is.”

  
  


  
  


**Results Show – Dress Rehearsal**

“Look. You are literally singing for less than a minute. This medley has been planned out for a couple of weeks now and I already told you four days ago that we aren't changing it, especially not last minute. We had a hard enough time securing the rights for this song as it is, it's that iconic. All you have to do is sing your lines and be done, so I suggest you think about doing that.”

It was very unusual to see Takeshi, the normally very laid back musical director, with claws out and hackles raised, but the contestants were witnessing just that. After four days of constant complaining that the small piece of the song he had to sing in the medley being used for that week's group number was far too lame and not fun enough, Takeshi had finally given JJ a takedown in front of all present. The Canadian had gone so far so as to not even memorize the lines of the song he was to sing, which had caused him to stumble in the runthrough for dress rehearsal. As Seung Gil called for everyone to take ten the other contestants made their way over to the chairs, still taken aback at how things were proceeding.

“What the fuck is your problem asshole?” Yura finally snapped after doing a very good job of remaining silent the last several days during the medley rehearsals. “You're already in the bottom every god damned week, and I really don't give a fuck if you go home, but don't fucking make the rest of us look like shit to do it.”

“I didn't get to pick this song. I don't like it,” JJ said.

“We never get to pick the group songs, what the fuck are you talking about?” Yura said.

“It's lame! It's a sappy-ass ballad. It does nothing to show off my range,” JJ countered. “Everyone else got good songs to sing but me.”

“This isn't the competition! You're just being an asshole right now. Get the fuck in that corner over there and learn your fucking lines. Have some fucking respect for all these people who make your sorry ass look good every week,” Yura said, finally stalking off when he felt himself becoming too heated.

“You know JJ, the majority of us got songs that were ballads too, and you don't see us complaining. If you want to make it in the music business, you have to be willing to compromise.”

All of the contestants left sitting in the chairs were once again stunned when the next voice was one that also was usually not one to indulge in controversy. Everyone noted the shocked look on JJ's face when he realized Victor was speaking.

“There's only so much opposition anyone working with you will take,” Victor continued. “The only part of this competition that is directly centered on you each week is your solo song. The rest of it is all for the viewers... the people who are keeping us here. You clearly haven't had to fight a day in your life to be praised by those around you and to have what you do appreciated. Not everyone here had that. And everyone is not here to continue holding you up and giving you favor. If you want to be judged equally, step up and act like you deserve it, and take things as they're given to you. You could have been gone already and not be having to worry about what you're singing at all. Just remember that.”

There was a long pause where the stage fell silent, with everyone within earshot of the exchange completely surprised at the closest they'd ever seen Victor come to actually being angry at someone. JJ blanched white, finally turning his face away from Victor's very intense expression before getting up and walking offstage.

Victor was burying his face in his hands and exhaling sharply as Seung Gil came over, suitably alarmed. For Victor, this was quite an outburst, and he suspected immediately that something was going on. Yuri draped an arm over Victor's shoulders in what the production manager noted was an almost protective gesture, with the Japanese man's face darkening into a “don't even fuck with him” expression as Seung Gil stopped before them.

“Victor? You okay?” Seung Gil asked gently; the other man raised his head, nodding in response.

“I... I'm just tired. I didn't sleep too well last night, and I guess I got to the end of my wits. It won't happen again,” he replied.

“Hey, you didn't do anything wrong,” Seung Gil assured him. “You didn't say anything that wasn't the truth. You handled that a lot better than I would have. I don't even really blame Yura for popping off either.”

“I hope they don't penalize him,” Victor said, his tone concerned.

“Nah. Arguing doesn't violate any rules. He's fine. Besides, I think Takeshi would vouch for him at this point,” he smirked. “Hopefully JJ will put his head on straight and get it together though. This is the first medley we've done and I think the audience will really love it.”

“One can only hope,” Victor replied. “I don't understand what's up with him, it makes no sense to me.”

“I seriously think it's because he's worried about getting voted off,” Yuri said. “He's trying to control the situation and he can't. And it's useless to try with this because it has no bearing on tonight's results. So yeah... he really just needs to cooperate because it's out of his hands.”

At the end of the break everyone gathered onstage for one last runthrough of the medley, with JJ coming back out last and taking his place onstage. When his turn came up sang his part, reading the lyrics off of his phone, his voice sounding perfectly fine, perhaps better than most times when he was trying to do too much. Takeshi decided to do one more take after that, with JJ's part being a bit better the second time around though he was still reading the lyrics. Finally, the time allotted for dress rehearsal had run out and the contestants were sent backstage to wait for showtime with Takeshi throwing out the random note that they could feel free to rehearse a bit more if they so chose, even though everyone knew their parts from memory save for one.

Sara had been on vocal rest overnight but was doing better, so Lilia had helped her to warm up but advised her to speak sparingly in the time between rehearsal and showtime. She sat curled on the couch with Mila while nursing some Throat Coat tea, still very concerned about her performance the night before and what it could mean for the results. Victor had remained quiet, poking absently at a small bowl of fruit salad he'd gotten from the craft services table, uncharacteristically withdrawn. Yuri sat next to him with Phichit flanking his other side, concerned but giving the Russian his space. Chris was working on calming Yura down, the teen still highly agitated and fretting about how the medley would ultimately turn out, and JJ was in the far corner of the room, earbuds in and listening to something on his phone until he rose and went into the adjoining practice room, closing the door behind him.

A few moments later Victor abruptly rose with a heavy sigh, still seeming out of sorts; Yuri was about to question if he was all right when Victor turned and headed into the soundproofed practice room. Phichit stared at the door for a few moments, blinking in surprise.

“Uh... should we be worried?” he finally asked.

Yuri raised his eyebrows, just as surprised as Phichit. “I... I don't really think so. At least... I hope not.”

Victor had walked into the room to find JJ sitting on the couch, still listening to something with earbuds in. As he stepped closer Victor saw the lyrics to the song JJ was to sing on the screen and paused, debating if he should disturb the other man until he looked up from the phone, pausing the music with an expression that seemed mixed between surprise and apprehension.

Victor sighed heavily again, pressing his palm to his forehead and pushing his hair back with a hand. “I... I'm sorry about before. I didn't mean to lose my temper.”

JJ blinked then frowned curiously. “You call _that_ losing your temper?” he replied.

“Well... it's a big deal for me. I usually don't...speak up that way,” Victor explained.

JJ looked back down at the phone, which was vibrating in his hands; Victor saw Isabella's picture and name come up on the screen, but JJ let the call go to voicemail.

“No... you... you were right,” JJ said. “I... I don't know what's going on with me. I've never been this freaked out about anything before. Some people get praised for being themselves, others try something different and get told to stick what they know. You try to do what you do best and it still doesn't work even if people other than the judges like it. It's so confusing.”

“The thing about it is, everyone here has their songs changed every week. Even mine never end up how I started out with them. Through the process I discovered that I kind of do everything the same way. I even went back and looked at some of my old YouTube videos and realized that I kind of stuck to the same thing all the time. When I got here I saw people doing all different kinds of music, taking on songs no one would expect, and challenging themselves. So I did it too, and it's worked. When you have no one telling you differently you get into a comfort zone and it's hard to get out of it sometimes. It's how you deal with it that counts though. You can either go kicking and screaming, or you can welcome it and grow.”

JJ sighed then, bowing his head and then nodding. “Yeah... I just... feel like maybe I've been held up a bit too much, when I think about it... it's kinda hard to swallow.”

“People close to you can mean well by always telling you you're great, but it's not always helpful. And you should never let it make you believe that trying new things isn't needed. Everyone starts somewhere, but if you don't keep moving forward, you'll stay stuck while the others move on.”

JJ nodded quietly then, lighting up his phone for a moment to check the time. “I... I've got an hour to get this down. I should probably do that,” he said.

Victor decided the acknowledgment on JJ's part was enough of a truce and declined to push the matter further. “All right. I'm sure you'll be fine though.” He then turned to make his way out of the room.

“Hey, uh...”

Victor paused and looked back over his shoulder, his hand just about to turn the door handle. “Yes?”

JJ's mouth quirked up into a pensive smirk that was overlaid with a bit of irony. “Thanks.”

“No problem,” Victor replied with a nod, then turned and took his leave of the room.

“So did you rip him a new one?” Yura asked as Victor sat down.

“No. We had some civil words. He's working on his song,” Victor replied.

“We should have had you bitch at him weeks ago then,” Chris snorted. “Would have saved us all the grief.”

“It takes a lot to get me to that point. I'm not happy it happened even if it had a positive result,” Victor said, wrinkling his nose at the now warm fruit salad in his bowl then deciding to eat it anyway.

“Something had to give,” Mila said. “It could have been a lot worse. But maybe he'll finally start listening to people.”

It was Yura's turn to snort as he finished the frozen yogurt he'd been working on. “Great, now we'll never get rid of him,” he growled. “Unless he goes this week, which he should.”

“I guess we'll see,” Chris said. “I personally hope for the best for everyone, because I'd rather not wish bad luck. Apparently the way they're going to do the eliminations tonight is going to put to rest once and for all the “rigging” rumors, though I don't know that anything they do won't be side-eyed. They probably waited too long to address it.”

“No matter what they do they won't be able to placate everyone,” Victor said. “We just have to not let it get to us. There's already enough conflict due to elimination issues and it's out of our control, no matter who is in charge of it. Let's just all keep doing our best and whatever comes, comes.”

  
  


  
  


_Going to Morooka for cold open in 10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1!_

**Morooka, stage center with single spotlight:** Last night, our Superstars took on some of the most popular songs from the year they were born, and we saw some amazing performances. Tonight, we'll find out which of them will be staying on for next week and who will be going home. Also, we'll have a very special performance by our own in-house mentor Emil Nekola, who will be debuting his new solo song right on our stage. Get ready because THIS... is Superstar Grand Prix!  _ Cut to opening montage. _

The judges were introduced during the extended opening music, greeting the crowd with waves and smiles save for Yakov, who headed straight to his seat. Celestino and Minako took a few moments to slap some hands in the front row before sitting down. Behind the screen the eight contestants took their places on the set, with a few of them sitting on the edges of the band riser, spaced equidistant on the stage. Once Morooka had finished his chat with the judges about the previous night's performances, he segued to the introduction for the group number.

“In keeping with last night's theme, our contestants will now perform a medley of songs that were Number One the year they were born. I know you've all been waiting to see them tonight so without further ado, here are our Superstars!” He turned toward the stage with a grand gesture, pointing at the screen as it raised, the introduction to the first song beginning.

As the songs were ordered chronologically Victor started out, singing an abbreviated version of the first verse and chorus of “Faith” by George Michael. He was dressed in an outfit that recalled George's in the classic video, with jeans, white tank top and leather jacket. As he sang he swung his hips a bit to evoke some of the iconic moves, the other contestants singing backup harmonies as they would for the rest of the medley. Victor's part ended and the music then softened, the cameras cutting to Chris leaning against Takeshi's piano as he began the first verse of “Everything I Do (I Do It For You)” by Bryan Adams. Chris' voice carried over the studio, taking on a bit more power as he sang through the first verse and chorus.

The music stayed soft, changing genres to R&B as Yuri walked out to a chorus of cheers and screams that rivaled Victor's as he began his excerpt of “End of the Road” by Boyz II Men, with Victor, Chris and Phichit as his backing vocalists. His part ended with he and the others drawing out the final “youuuuu” of the chorus. The tempo then kicked up, the lighting also changing to a club-like atmosphere as Sara began to sing her part of “The Sign” by Ace of Base, her voice sounding a bit stronger than the night before and with a bit more control, though she'd been grateful the song wasn't a difficult one. The tempo stayed medium as Phichit's appearance at center stage was greeted with more screams and cheers as he sang his clip of “Always Be My Baby” by Mariah Carey with a playful air and his ever-present smile.

The music turned softer again as JJ walked slowly out from his starting place to the mark at center stage for his solo, “Candle In the Wind 1997” by Elton John, his voice gentle and melodic as the piano-only accompaniment highlighted his clear tone. After a moment to let the mood of his segment fade the music and lighting kicked up again as Mila strutted to center stage to sing the first verse and chorus of “Baby One More Time” by Britney Spears, carrying the pop song well despite it not really being her best genre; the crowd seemed to love it as well as they cheered her on. The band then went into rock mode as Yura contributed the last song quote of the medley with “Hanging By a Moment” by Lifehouse, returning to his rocker persona which evoked more cheers and screams.

The final power chord of Yura's song faded out into a piano segueway that led into the chorus of the final group song, “One Sweet Day” by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men that the eight contestants sang in perfect harmony, followed by a pair of reprises of the chorus that modulated up in key and allowed a bit of improvising in the form of short vocal runs from each contestant that brought the medley performance to a close. The show then cut to the first commercial break with the contestants heading over the chairs with little time for chatter, as it seemed that the break was shorter than usual.

“And we are back,” Morooka began. “Before we begin the results tonight, I want to mention that over the last few weeks, we've been getting a lot of feedback concerning how our results are tallied. All methods are done via computer, however they are reviewed by a professional accounting firm, after which the final results are printed on the cards I hold in my hand each week. They are never opened until the night of eliminations, and absolutely no changes are made. We're going to take a look now at how all of this is executed. It's a massive task that all involved have very little time to do, and it's quite impressive that it's done with pinpoint accuracy each week. Have a look at the screens.”

The in-studio screens cut to to the video segment that the viewers also saw at home, which explained in detail exactly how the results were tallied. Footage was shown of computers for each of the countries the show was aired in keeping a running tally of the various voting methods, without showing the contestants' names, was shown and explained by the president of the accounting firm in charge of finalizing the results. A shot of all the computers stopping their vote-counting at exactly the 12-hour mark from when they began at the same time worldwide, along with an alarm sounding, was next, followed by the accountants from the firm utilizing the program to verify that all the votes came in during the allotted time frame, and how many each method produced. A final printout with the contestants' first names in alphabetical order, with the tallies blurred out for the broadcast, was shown being sealed into an envelope.

“This week as the results are announced, we will show on our screens here in the studio, and for the viewers at home, a shot of the card I hold in my hand, the envelope for which was opened just before I stepped onstage. I personally scanned the card in, and the image you'll see was made in the presence of the accountants responsible for guarding the results each week. We will unveil the exact amount of votes each contestant received as the results are read.” Morooka turned the screen behind him, where the card with the printed results was displayed, with the contestants' names alphabetical on the left and the vote totals blurred out on the right just enough that it was difficult to tell who had what.

“This is so ridiculously extra,” Chris murmured to Phichit next to him. “I think they're a little out of sorts about being accused of rigging maybe?”

“Mmmm, maybe. I can't tell,” Phichit giggled, the sarcasm apparent as Morooka called for Kieran to dim the lights, calling Yura first.

“Yura, you performed 'Drops of Jupiter' by Train. Minako said it suited your voice perfectly. Celestino said you had great control of your voice. And Yakov said you are a natural talent. Our viewers have voted... let's take a look at the screens.” Morooka turned to the screen behind them and Yura followed suit, watching as the blur over his vote total slowly de-pixellated to reveal he'd gotten just over one billion votes, his number in green. “Yura, you are safe!” The audience erupted into cheers and screams, but there was also a scattering of angry shouts that eventually were drowned out first by the positive responses, then the ovation for Yuri as he was called up next.

“Yuri, before I read your results, I thought I'd let you know about a particular response to your performance last night,” Morooka began. “Have a look at the screens.” Yuri turned, where on the screen was a tweet from the lead singer of Mr. Big, Eric Martin, praising Yuri's performance of their song “To Be With You”. The crowd erupted into cheers after Morooka read off the tweet and Yuri turned to the cameras a bit more red-faced than before.

“You performed 'To Be With You' by Mr. Big. Celestino called it a perfect vocal. Minako said you knocked it out of the park. And Yakov approved of you thinking out of the box by not playing guitar. Our viewers have voted, take a look at the screens.” Yuri turned, watching as the blur obscuring his vote total came into focus, the green numbers revealing that he was a bit more than 2 million votes below Yura – considering that still meant he had just under a billion votes, it was ridiculously close. The crowd erupted into cheers as Morooka congratulated Yuri on being safe, sending him back to the chairs and calling Victor next.

“Victor, I have something to show you as well,” Morooka said, gesturing to the screens where a tweet from the singer of Van Halen at the time the song Victor had performed was done, Sammy Hagar, raved about Victor's performance, even going so far as to say his vocal was better than his own original one. Victor covered his face with his hand as he tried to stave off the flood of emotions that unexpectedly surged before he turned back to the cameras.

“You sang “When It's Love” by Van Halen. Celestino said you pulled off the challenging vocal flawlessly. Minako said she doesn't think it's possible for you do do anything less than a great performance. And Yakov said it gave us a definitive look at who you are as a performer. The viewers have voted.” He gestured to the screens and Victor looked up, watching his total appear in green numbers – and the audience gasped in unison when his number was a bit more than 1 million below Yuri's, even closer than between Yuri and Yura. Victor's eyebrows raised and he gasped in surprise himself, then turned to accept Morooka's congratulatory handshake as he pronounced him safe. Phichit was up next; there was unfortunately no special surprise for him and he made light of it, pouting with an exaggerated expression and evoking some laughter from the audience.

“You sang 'Follow You Down' by the Gin Blossoms. Minako said she got tired just watching you.” More laughter from the audience and Phichit resulted from that. “Celestino felt you could kick it up a notch if you had played guitar. And Yakov said you are natural at interacting with your audience. Our viewers have spoken, have a look at the screen.” Phichit turned, watching as his green number came into focus and finding it a bit less than 2 million lower than Victor's, but still on the safe list. The crowd applauded as he returned to his seat with a wave and a mouthed “thank you” into the cameras.

“We are halfway through our results, but we'll take a break for the moment,” Morooka began. “When we come back, our very own in-house mentor Emil Nekola will debut his new solo song. Stay tuned... THIS... is Superstar Grand Prix!”

As the show went to commercial break Phichit sat down, picking up on the vibe of the discussion happening among the contestants even before he'd heard a word.

“I don't think I like this,” Victor said. “I know people complained about not seeing the exact results, and that's fine. But I'm not sure seeing how close or how far apart we are in votes is really helpful.”

“Yeah... now that I know, I kind of wish I didn't,” Phichit said.

“I feel like it will put pressure on everyone, make it more competitive,” Yura said. “I can already guess that people are losing their shit and saying I have to beat my totals, and the fan wars are just going to get worse.”

“This is a classic case of 'careful what you wish for', to be honest,” Mila said. “It's one thing to be announced in no particular order, you just know you're safe or not. But this is going to just mess with everyone.” Sara nodded in agreement, opting to save her voice as the bit of singing she'd done had made her throat hurt again.

“Maybe they'll only do it for this week,” Yuri said. “They really couldn't do it in any other way than descending order. It wouldn't have made sense to do them randomly and say, announce me safe first with less votes than Yura, who was also safe with the most. It would have just been super complicated.”

“Kind of like the mumbo-jumbo of that whole video segment,” Chris said. “It made sense but I also tuned out halfway through.”

“Which is exactly what they want to happen,” JJ replied. “For people to not pay attention, then still complain because even with the way things are being announced, people will still think it's fake.”

The call for 15 seconds to live went out and everyone settled in for Emil's performance. The former leader of the internationally-known boy band Anastasis took the stage to a flurry of light and sound, the driving Eurodance song perfect for the precision moves of the group of dancers that joined him onstage. He kept up with them flawlessly, singing into his headset microphone with just the slightest hint of breathlessness, his raspy tenor on point despite near constant movement. For the second verse of the song he headed out onto the catwalk that went around behind the judges' table, his dancers flanking either side of it as they got the crowd into it more. They all returned to the stage for a full-throttle dance break that caused the audience to break into even more loud cheers and screams; over at the chairs Yuri and Phichit, fans of Emil's former group, had been up on their feet and dancing in place from the first few notes. Emil finished the song with a double-reprise of the chorus, forgoing dancing to belt out the last lines before the song came to an end with a riot of colored lights and an “explosion”-like crash as he hit the final pose with the dancers. After a five-second pause for the audience to lose their collective minds the playout music to another commercial break sounded, strategically-placed to give the crews time to clear the stage and put it back to the bare-bones look of results mode.

“Well shit, I'm glad he's not competing!” Victor laughed. “I didn't really know much about his group or him but he's clearly very talented.”

“He was always adamant about the group singing live,” Yuri said. “And they always had choreography that was on par with the J-Pop and K-Pop groups. I have no idea how he sings and dances like that, it's insane.”

“It's probably because he's been doing it since he could walk,” Phichit said. “There's footage on YouTube of him in the kids' roles in musicals from the time he was five.”

“It's one thing to dance and sing in a Broadway show, those things are usually choreographed to allow for singing,” Yuri said. “It's tricky but you get used to it. But that was so high-energy, I can't even imagine doing it. I would never have lasted in a J-Pop band,” he laughed.

“You ever try out for one?” Yura asked.

“Me? Hell no!” Yuri laughed. “If you think we work hard here, multiply that by maybe a thousand and you have a day in the life of a J-Pop Idol. Definitely not for me.” Yura's eyebrows raised at that as the fifteen seconds to live call went up and the show returned from break.

“All right, I hope everyone's recovered from that amazing performance. Let's give Emil another round of applause,” Morooka said, the audience, contestants and judges all doing so as the cameras cut to Emil, who had returned to his weekly front-row seat next to Lilia after a quick change of clothing; at her encouragement he stood up and took one more bow before waving everyone off in an 'aw shucks' manner and sitting down.

“And now, back to business and the rest of our results.” The results card image returned to the screen with the first four contestants' numbers revealed as Mila was called forward.

“You sang 'Angel' by Sarah McLachlan,” Morooka began. “Minako said you have amazing control over your voice. Celestino said the song showed off your versatility. And Yakov said the vocal was quite stellar. Our viewers have voted...” Mila turned with Morooka to the screen; her number was only partially unblurred, but it was obvious the numbers were in yellow. “I'm sorry Mila, you are in the bottom three tonight.” The crowd erupted in boos and angry shouts as Mila headed to center stage and Chris was called up.

“You sang 'Show Me the Way' by Styx. Celestino said he didn't realize you had such a theatrical voice. Minako said your performance was flawless. And Yakov said it was impressive as always. Our viewers have spoken.” They both turned to the screens, the audience reaction a mixture of approval and surprise as Chris' number was revealed as green, the total in between Phichit's and Mila's. As he returned to the chairs he called JJ and Sara to center stage.

“And here you have it folks, our bottom three,” Morooka said. “Let's review your performances. JJ, you sang “Go The Distance” by Michael Bolton. Celestino felt your vocal was overshadowed by the presentation. Minako said the performance was more subdued than your previous songs. And Yakov said to let your talent speak for itself.”

He then turned to Sara. “You performed 'All I Wanna Do' by Sheryl Crow. Minako was surprised at your song choice. Celestino said it was obvious you were not at 100 percent due to illness. And Yakov appreciated that you took a risk.” He then looked up from his notes to face the cameras.

“Who of these three contestants is safe, and who is going home?” We'll find out... after the break,” he stated, the crowd reaction a mix of groans, boos and angry shouts as the show went to the final commercial break.

Sara had begun to tear up and Mila wrapped her arms around her, no longer caring what the world did or didn't see. “You'll be okay,” Mila said. “I really don't think you're going home.”

“No... I was terrible, don't keep trying to gloss it over,” Sara said into her shoulder, her head behind Mila's as one looked at the stage in an effort to hide her tears. “I should have picked a different song. I could have tried harder. I had time to change it and I didn't because I couldn't think straight not feeling well. But I need to learn to do that.”

Mila hugged her as tightly as she could, remaining silent while hoping for the best. A pace or two away JJ stood, hands folded in front of him as he stared down at them, taking several deep breaths in an attempt to calm down which proved useless as the show returned from break.

“And we are back with our final results,” Morooka began. “Let's get to it. The first person who is safe tonight... is...” All eyes went to the screen, the crowd already beginning to cheer as Mila's number began to materialize, in yellow to indicate she was in the bottom three. “Mila, you are safe. Head on back to the chairs.”

Mila felt tears rush up as she crushed Sara in one final hug before leaving her at center stage; JJ moved a step closer to her, his hands wringing a bit.

“And... here is our final result.” Sara and JJ turned along with Morooka as the blurs over their respective numbers began to clear, the crowd erupting even before they were readable when JJ's number was obviously yellow and Sara's red, indicating she was going home. JJ was just barely safe, with just under 1 million votes separating the two. “Sara, I'm sorry but you are going home tonight,” Morooka said, the crowd responding with more angry shouts and boos, the volume rising as the cameras zoomed in on the card in Morooka's hand as he raised it to show that it was, indeed, the exact same card that had been displayed on the screens for the duration of the show.

Sara looked around as she waited for Seung Gil to bring her a microphone to sing her farewell song and met eyes with JJ, to find him with an uncharacteristic expression of apology on his face.

“I'm... I'm sorry Sara,” he said, bowing his head.

“It's okay,” she said, her voice cracking a bit, partially from illness and partially from emotion as she stepped forward; the pair then shared a hug which lasted a few moments before Morooka came over, responding to Seung Gil's signal that they were low on time to send JJ back to the chairs. After the requisite retrospective video montage and giving a short, raspy-voiced speech thanking her fans Sara opted to leave on a literal defiant note, calling Mila to center stage and singing “And I Love Her” while holding her hand, fighting tears the whole way through which made Mila cry as well. As her song finished the rest of the contestants came over with JJ staying this time and all sharing a group hug as Morooka walked to center stage in the foreground.

“And that's our show for tonight,” he concluded. “On behalf of our judges and contestants, have a great night everyone, and we'll see you back here next week. Morooka – out!”

  
  


The usual routine after every results show was for the contestants to head back to the green room to decompress for a bit. The mood was quite somber, with Sara alternating between seeming fine and tearing up as the reality of the results set in. She would stay the night in the mansion, then head off the next afternoon to do a press tour, performing on talk shows in New York City and then back to Los Angeles, where she would take up residence in a hotel near the studio lot where the other contestants who were “sent home” could stay if they chose to remain in Los Angeles. Leo had elected to go home since his trip was only from California to Texas, but the other contestants eliminated so far – Minami, Guang Hong, Otabek, and now Sara – had opted to stay on, the former three having been in the studio audience each week as Sara would be for subsequent shows. Leo would rejoin everyone for the finale, which was still a few weeks away. After she had settled down and regained her composure, Seung Gil came to whisk her off to the post-elimination press conference that all of the voted-off contestants were required to do.

The other part of the post-results-show goings-on was the contestants sifting through the list of available songs for the coming week's theme. During the prep time between Hollywood Week and the live shows they'd received a tentative list of the themes along with the list of songs for which usage rights had been cleared. These were subsequently narrowed down to fit the theme. However, there was some confusion among the contestants that were moving forward to next week when the list of available songs, and the sign-in sheet where they would log their final choices, had not yet been brought to them.

“I mean, I kind of already know what I want to do, but it's taking them longer than usual,” Yuri said.

“You know... I did notice that Morooka didn't announce the theme for next week when he signed off tonight,” Mila pointed out.

“Aw shit. They better not go and change it. I was stoked about the song I wanted to do,” Yura said.

Just then Takeshi came into the room as he usually did, paperwork in hand. However, he seemed a bit annoyed which was uncharacteristic for him.

“Okay guys. So I have good news and bad news,” he began.

“Oh no. Please don't tell me the results were fucked with after all that bullshit tonight,” Yura said.

“I could believe that, how the hell did you get a billion votes anyway?” Chris teased, causing everyone in the room to laugh, including Takeshi.

“No, the results stand as they are,” Takeshi continued. “But... the bad news is, the producers have decided to change next week's theme. It was supposed to be music from the 1990s... but they neglected to consider that all but two of you were born in the '90s, and as a result almost all the songs this week were 90's ones. So next week would be kind of redundant as far as song era.”

All of the contestants' faces turned surprised. “You have got to be kidding me,” JJ said.

“Well... that's where the good news comes in. Now... originally, we were saving the “rewind” bit for the top 3; one of the three songs for the people making it that far was going to be your choice of a song you did previously on the show. That's going to be scrapped... because we're doing it this coming week instead. The seven of you that remain can choose a song from those that you did from either your auditions or Hollywood Week.” He then passed out the lists to each person, placing the song choice sign-in sheet on the table. “We'll give you some extra time here to think about it. But the nice thing is you already have arrangements and such, so you won't be set back too far. I know some of you start working on your songs in advance so this has the potential to mess you up a bit, but I think you'll be fine with this. I fought for this actually because it was really the only fair way to go forward.”

“Oh great. I do this on accident, and now I get to do it again on purpose,” Mila laughed.

“To be honest? You nailing 'Sorry Not Sorry' a second time way better than your original performance is what made me bring it up. It's also a good point in the competition to remind people how much everyone has grown,” Takeshi said.

“He's right... it could be a lot worse,” Victor said. “They could have thrown a really random theme at us that would have messed up everyone. We just have to think of what song we've done before that we'd like to see done on the big stage.”

“And we get to record it too!” Phichit reminded them.

“Oh _shit_ that's right!” JJ said. “I kind of already know what I want to do considering that.”

Takeshi took his leave, telling the group they had a half-hour to decide between the four songs on each of their lists. Chris was looking his over pensively, then sighed dramatically. “I'm so _torn_ , there's too many choices!” he joked, breaking the odd tension in the room as everyone laughed. “But in seriousness, I'm stuck between “Kiss” and “Too Funky”.

“I don't know how, 'Too Funky' was your best of the four,” Victor said. “You should get those heels on again for it.”

“You think they'd let me have a pole to dance on?” Chris grinned.

“Hell no! Unfair advantage!” Yura cried.

“True, true,” Chris acknowledged. “But I do think I'm going with that. It deserves a big stage treatment.”

“My first thought is to do 'Sweet Child O' Mine' again,” Yura said. “My audition kind of sucked, it was done on a piano of all things.”

“That song is _so_ overplayed though,” Phichit said. “Especially in the States, you can hear it on every classic rock station at least a couple times a day if not more.”

“I thought 'Believer' was your best, I really loved the way you sang that,” Mila said. “And with everything you've learned up to now I think you'd really kill with it.”

“That was my second choice,” Yura said; he looked around and the others nodded their approval. “Okay, I'll go with that.”

“Well, I know I can't do one of mine,” Mila laughed, “Unless I want to get myself booted by doing it a third time.”

“Don't you dare!” Yuri laughed. “What were your other songs again?”

“I did 'My Immortal' for my audition, the Halestorm cover of 'Bad Romance', and 'Move You' for the Showcase,” Mila said. “And it looks like they swapped out the extra song they asked me to do in my audition, 'Barracuda' by Heart, for 'Sorry Not Sorry' since I already repeated it.”

“Ohhh, those were all really great,” Victor said. “But I'd love to hear 'My Immortal' again.”

“It wouldn't be very different from the first time though,” Mila said. “My presentation has improved more than my singing I think. That's why I'm leaning toward Bad Romance.”

“Oh do that one,” Chris said. “That will be so much more fun on the big stage. And you can get a little crazy with the styling too, which you didn't have during Hollywood Week.”

“True,” Mila agreed. “Okay, I'm good with that.”

“Hm... if you're doing that, I might stay away from 'Immigrant Song',” Victor said. “We want to have some variety in our choices, and we don't want too much of one genre or another.”

“But you should do what your first impulse is,” Phichit said. “And that performance was _ridiculous!_ ”

“Dude, no really you gotta do that one, because I'll fucking buy the studio version,” Yura said.

“Oh _shit_ Victor you'd get to record it! Yeah you gotta do that one!” Yuri said.

Victor smiled a bit at Yuri's enthusiasm. “Okay, I'll do it,” he decided.

“I'm gonna do 'Hold Back the River' then,” Phichit said. “I was gonna do 'Shut Up and Dance' again, but that feels too easy now.”

“Oh you were fantastic for 'River',” Chris said. “The other one is fun but this one has more range to it.”

“Agreed,” Victor nodded. “Definitely go with that one.” Phichit nodded happily and wrote his selection on the sheet.

JJ had been quiet, staring at his list in contemplation during the conversation. “I think... I'm gonna do my original song from my audition. 'Theme of King JJ',” he said.

Yura opened his mouth, let it stay that way for a moment, then decided against whatever it was he was going to say. Yuri raised his piece of paper to hide his face as an 'oh noooo' expression crossed over it. Victor laid a finger against his lips thoughtfully; Chris smirked as Mila turned away from the table under the guise of checking on Sara in order to roll her eyes.

“I mean... I used it for my audition, and it sounded kind of bad with just the piano when it's usually played with a full band. And I'll get to record it... I only have a demo with my band, but this will be professionally done. It's a good chance to sing an original for a big audience.” He pulled the sign-up sheet over, writing down his choice decisively. “Yeah, I'm gonna roll with it! Gotta do it JJ Style!”

Mila jumped in to stave off the inevitable awkward silence then. “Yuri... you're the only one left. What are you going to do?”

“I was thinking I'd do 'Soldier' again,” he said. “I'd like to redo it with a bit more confidence in my pocket.”

“Yuuuuuriiiiiiiiiiii,” Victor said. “No.”

“What? Why?”

Yura reached over and pretended to smack Yuri upside the head, close enough to fluff his hair with the air created by his hand. “You moron! Are you kidding me?”

Phichit just turned sideways in his chair and gave Yuri the biggest [“now sis” meme face possible](https://media.giphy.com/media/hUBF83nbFcKGc/giphy.gif); Chris raised his eyebrows with a 'seriously?' expression.

“How on _earth_ are you not redoing 'If I Was Your Man'? Victor questioned.

“I... I can't do that! I mean... I already got noticed by Bruno for it, I'll just look like I'm fishing for more compliments. It's not going to be played any different than in the audition room, because the song is just a piano and a voice. I... think it would be too easy. It really wouldn't show any growth, whereas 'Soldier' I know I can do better. And there will be backup singers for the ending this time. It has a chance to be much better the second time around.” By the flush rising up from Yuri's neck to his cheeks, Phichit could tell there was more to the story and made a mental note to quiz Yuri on it later.

Victor sighed dramatically. “Well... all right, I'll give you that. There really isn't much more you can do with 'If I Was Your Man', now that you've mentioned it. I think 'Soldier' will be much more of a showstopper this time, and it was amazing in the Showcase Round.”

“Yeah, you're right,” Mila said; Sara had returned while Yuri was talking and nodded her agreement as well.

Yuri reached over and wrote his song choice on the list. “Well, that's settled then,” he said. “In a way it's going to be kind of nice to cruise a bit this week. I mean, not slack off but at least we're not doing a whole new song.”

“That's a good point. It will be a nice little break,” Phichit said. “I say we take advantage of it.”

JJ looked over at Sara then. “What song would you have done?” he asked. Behind him, Yura facepalmed as he noticed Sara's face turn a bit sad before she responded; Victor frowned and shook his head in disbelief.

“I would have done 'Can't Rely On You' again,” Sara said. “That one was a lot of fun and it showed a different side of my voice.”

This time there was no getting out of the awkward silence that followed as Mila draped her arm around Sara's shoulders in response to the Italian woman's sigh. “Well, at least I'll still be around here; I won't have any obligations after the press tour,” Sara said. “I'll come and visit and bug you guys.”

“You'd better!” Mila said. “Our room is going to be so lonely now.”

“Oh please, you'll be happy you won't have to fight me for the shower anymore,” Sara laughed.

“I didn't, we just shared it,” Mila blurted out, then realized it a second later when everyone else in the room turned bright red; after a few moments they all burst out laughing just in time for Takeshi to return for the list.

“Well I missed something obviously!” he laughed as he picked it up, giving it a once-over. “I'm liking these choices...” There was a telltale pause. “JJ, we're gonna need written music or a demo of some kind for your song if you can get either,” he finally said, a slight tinge of annoyance in his voice.

“I have the demo on my phone, I can send it to you,” he said, at which Takeshi gave him an email address.

“All right then,” Takeshi said. “Next week should be pretty interesting. The eliminations are getting tougher though.” He walked over to give Sara a hug. “We're gonna miss you sweetheart.”

“Oh god, I can't cry anymore,” Sara said with a laugh as she returned his hug, then drew back as he released her. “I guess it was just my time to go. This isn't the end though. Mila and I have plans to take over the world.”

Takeshi grinned as Seung Gil poked his head in to tell everyone to get packed up as the shuttle bus was on its way to take them home. “I can totally see that happening,” Takeshi said. “If you need a musical director, call me up.”

Mila wrapped her arm around Sara's shoulder as they made ready to head to the dressing rooms with everyone to pick up their things. “You'll be the first on our list,” Sara replied.

As everyone filed out of the room Takeshi noticed Victor hanging back, seeming pensive for some reason. The musical director turned and paused for a moment.

“Victor? You okay buddy?” he asked, and the other man blinked out of his thoughts in response.

“I... I'm still not convinced I want to do 'Immigrant Song' again. I want to do something I can improve on. Sure that one came out well, but it's a pretty bare bones song to begin with. There's not a lot more I can do with it and compared to everyone else's songs... it's kind of flat.”

Takeshi thought it over for a few moments. “I think I agree, actually. The Zeppelin song worked in the setting of the Troubadour for the reason you said. But even if we beefed up the band, the thing that works about that song is its simplicity.”

“The setting of the big stage here might be _too_ big for it,” Victor added, picking up his list of songs again. “But... there's an arrangement of “Dream On”, my audition song, that I think would work very well. I did that with just a piano for the audition but this...”

The grin that crossed Takeshi's face was almost wicked. “I know exactly the arrangement you're talking about. I think you need to go for this. It will totally blow the roof off the joint. I can make the call to get the musicians we need. Let's go with it.”

Victor grinned as he reached for Takeshi's outstretched hand to seal the deal with a shake. “I'm in,” he replied. “After all, I do love surprising people.”

  
  


  
  


“Well... it seems like we can't win either way. Now there's accusations online from the viewers that the numbers can't possibly be correct because there's no way Yura is beating Victor and Yuri. The fan dissension has gotten that much worse and now the fan bases are even more at war.”

Seung Gil was doing his usual post-show social media monitoring as he and Takeshi took their usual end-of-production-week meeting together. The totals reveal had seemed like a good idea at the time, but now it was appearing they'd subjected the remaining contestants to considerable backlash.

“Yura is getting slammed by some of the other fan bases, especially the ones that skew a bit older. They're saying all the kids are rooting for him because he's the youngest, not because he's talented,” Seung Gil said.

“Which ones skew older?” Morooka asked with interest.

“For some reason, Victor's fans are mixed. Most of them are late teens to mid-20s, but especially in the US, he's got the older women demographic on lock. It seems like it's a similar audience to what some of the American Idol winners had. And man are they enraged. I get defending their favorites but some of this stuff is downright vicious,” Seung Gil said.

“How about Yuri and Phichit?” Morooka asked.

“Phichit's seem to be heavily more toward the younger end of the scale. But Yuri has about the same demographic as Victor. Their two fan bases are clashing a lot, which is interesting seeing as it's pretty obvious they're good friends at the very least, possibly more. Though Chris' fans seem to like the idea of he and Victor being paired off,” Seung Gil answered.

“The reactions are definitely different from country to country. In Japan, Yuri is basically being treated as an Idol. If nothing else he'll have a great fan base in his home country, though his appeal seems to be reaching pretty far. The whole singer-songwriter thing is pretty universal, whereas Victor's rocker tendencies are definitely something that skews to an older crowd that had musical favorites in that era. His throwback vibe is what I think is bringing in that older demographic,” Morooka said.

“If that was the case Yura's fans wouldn't be primarily under 20,” Seung Gil said.

“Yura's a punk rocker type though, he's going to appeal to the Hot Topic set. Victor's more of a classic rocker. That's where the difference lies,” Morooka said.

“True,” Seung Gil agreed. “But aside from that, next week is going to be very interesting with the theme change and from the other backlash I'm seeing. Sara's fans are in a rage over JJ staying and her going. They're going to throw their votes at anyone other than JJ since he was so close to the bottom. Meanwhile his fans are being more extra than even Victor's trying to explain away why he's still there.”

“Takeshi gave me the song list for next week, and I only expect that to continue because he's doing his audition song, the original one,” Morooka said, causing Seung Gil to turn around in his chair and face Morooka with a wide-eyed expression.

“You're kidding right?” he asked. “His best song of the four from auditions and Hollywood was “It's a Beautiful Day”, I thought for sure he'd go with that. But I'm not really surprised he's going with the one that calls him the king. I had forgotten about his ego at his audition until Minako reminded me in the pre-production meeting.”

Morooka snorted at that. “Yeah, that was something. So this should definitely be interesting. We gained viewers after the auditions, when the show came back from the holiday break. I don't know that everyone who is watching now saw his audition when it was televised. But compared to the other songs he's going to stick out like a sore thumb regardless. If he stays on after next week we'll probably be answering to more conspiracy theories about the voting.”

“Are we going to bother with showing totals next week?” Seung Gil asked as he closed the laptop, having seen enough of the insanity that lurked in the various show tags on Twitter.

“No, there's no point if they're only going to cause more trouble for the contestants. They're getting enough hate thrown at them from opposing fan bases. I don't want it to be made worse by the show turning it that much more cutthroat. Yura was on top because he had a great performance of a very well-known song and he showed a lot of emotion. The kid knocked it out of the park this week and he deserved it. But I hope he doesn't pay too much attention to people questioning why he's there. He doesn't strike me as the type to get deflated about it though.”

Seung Gil shook his head. “Nah, it will just make him more pissed off and he'll do better next week. He's a little hardass, but he's learning how to be one in a good way rather than how he started out.”

“That's rather fitting, because you grow up fast in the entertainment industry. He's going to need that thick skin,” Morooka said.

Seung Gil rose, turning off the light over his desk. “Absolutely. But then again, they all will by the time this is all said and done.”

  
  


  
  


  
  


**One Week Later – Live Shows, Week Six – Superstar Rewind**

_Going to video cold open in 5...4...3...2...1... and we're rolling!_

_Shot of the judges entering the first audition in Rome._ **Morooka, voiceover:** Not even a year ago, they were all unknown, some of the best kept secrets in the music world.  _Shots of Chris, Yura, Mila, JJ, Phichit, Yuri and Victor each walking in the door for their auditions_ And my, how they've grown since!  _Montage of clips of the seven remaining contestants' performances from audition to present_ But every once in a while, we'd all like a do-over of something, and this week, our Superstars will get that chance. Get ready for some deja vu as we rewind to the performances that helped bring them into your homes, and we find out just how far they've come. THIS... is Superstar Grand Prix!!  _Go to opening theme and live for judges' entrance._

The contestants waited behind the screen as per usual as the judges made their way out onto the stage to the roar of the crowd and for Morooka's subsequent opening monologue that led into the host introducing the Superstars. They walked out for their usual crowd greeting, but instead of heading directly to the chairs they all stood in a row at center stage in the order they would perform for the night: Chris, Yura, Mila, JJ, Phichit, Yuri and Victor, from left to right as one faced the stage from the audience.

“So tonight is going to be quite interesting,” Morooka began. “Our Superstars will be getting a second chance at one of their first impressions, so to speak, as they reprise a song from either their audition, or one of the three they performed during Hollywood Week. Tell me, is it more difficult to do a song you've already done, or less so?” He then held his microphone to Chris, who stood at the beginning of the row.

“In a way, it's a little tougher,” Chris said. “The auditions and Hollywood Week are pretty bare bones. It's just us and our voices, and the stripped down version of the band, so all you have to do is sing. Now because you've gotten more experience, I think the audience expects a lot more of you,” he replied.

“Yura, do you agree with that?” Morooka asked, stepping up to him.

“Yeah, especially if you came in with no experience at all like I did,” he said. “Like Chris said everyone expects you to know more and to do it better so you have to think about what you have worked on and gotten better at, and add that to the song.”

“And what was the thought process going in as to what song you all chose?” he asked Mila.

“I think we all kind of had to remember why we did the song first, and if we performed it as well as we thought was possible. Some of us chose songs that we felt like something was left on the table, which is why I'm doing the one I am tonight.”

“I think too the opportunity to get to record the song was a factor,” JJ said as Morooka stepped over to him next. “It's been really cool to get to have these songs as we go, as kind of an audio history of our time on the show. A lot of people have asked us to record the songs from the weeks that we didn't get to do that.”

“Were there any other reasons behind your choices?” Morooka inquired of Phichit.

“There was the thought too when you looked at your choices, there was always one that stood out more than the others. Sometimes they only showed a little bit of what we did on TV as well so people didn't get to hear the whole thing. I was really happy with this one the first time I did it but I wanted to do it for a bigger audience, and also they didn't show very much of it when they aired Hollywood Week. So I wanted to give it a second chance.”

“For me, I know that when I first did this song, I had certain people in mind that it was for,” Yuri said when it was his turn to speak. “Songs are like that though, as your life changes they mean different things to you. So this time it's for someone else and I like the idea that more people will hear it this time as well.”

“Victor, what about you, what was your reason behind your choice tonight?” Morooka asked.

“I think for me, I had two songs in mind and one of them was one everyone wanted me to redo. But the one I have chosen I know for a fact I didn't get to do it to its full potential. It's not the song everyone will be expecting me to reprise but I definitely think it was the right choice.”

“All right then, there you have it. Tonight is going to be very special, so we will get right to it after the break. Stay tuned!”

As the playout music for the commercial break sounded the contestants headed to the chairs save for Chris, who had run backstage to do a quick change into the sparkly black platform stiletto boots he'd worn for his “Crazy In Love” performance a few weeks prior and prepare for his performance. The rest of the group sat down with Yura, Mila and JJ in the top row and Chris' currently vacant chair followed by Victor, Yuri and Phichit on the bottom.

“Oh god I really hope I never have to talk live again,” Yuri laughed. “That was nerve wracking!”

“Aw you did fine,” Mila said. “But now I really want to know who your song is for this time.” She was pretty sure by the flush that immediately covered Yuri's face that she already knew the answer and as Yuri turned away from her, she shot a wink to Victor.

“Yuuuuriiiii care to share?” Victor said, leaning in and wrapping an arm around the other's shoulders.

“No! I'm sure the person it's for will figure it out,” he said, grateful for the signal of fifteen seconds to live that saw them all compose themselves and settle in for the show, with the cameras zooming in on Morooka who was situated over at the judges' table.

“Our first performer this evening originally did this song back on day one of Hollywood Week, when he gave us a very impressive introduction to his talents. He hasn't failed to disappoint since. For a little bit more on this week's performance, here is Chris.”

_Shot of Chris on interview set_ “This is a song that I first did during Hollywood Week. Normally, I sing it while swinging around a twelve-foot-high pole for my job, so the performance in Hollywood was quite tame. But everyone really loved what I did with “Crazy In Love”  _Clip of his performance of the song_ “and the fans on Twitter especially have wanted me to wear the boots again. I get a huge pile of tweets about them every week. So since I didn't get to give this song the full treatment, I figured I'd honor the fans' requests. Unfortunately, still no pole (sighs dramatically) but maybe they'll let me use it for the finale! (grins into the camera)  _Cut to Morooka at judges' table._

“Performing 'Too Funky' by George Michael, here is Chris Giacometti!” Morooka announced.

The song began with Takeshi running his fingers down the keyboard and the band heading into the pulsing intro as Chris strutted out with another very sparkly performance outfit from his personal wardrobe, complete with the boots, this time a bodysuit in a color scheme of purples with iridescent rhinestones. He stood at center stage to sing, his voice beginning in a low and breathy purr, full of far more personality than the first performance. He'd opted to use a headset microphone and he began to dance as the first verse cut to the change that was in his midrange, belting it out with much more authority and confidence. As the edit of the song went to the “everybody wants to love like that” breakdown he began to supermodel-strut along the edge of the stage, pointing at the crowd below then pausing in front of the judges' table to flirt shamelessly with Minako and Celestino and wave playfully at Yakov before continuing on. As the song came to its end with one of the background singers chanting the 'would you like me to seduce you?' line Chris fired off a few more improvised vocalizations in between more impressive dance moves, including a few twirls until he ended with a quick spin and planting both feet down with legs apart, heavy platform stomping as he belted out the final “yeah yeah!” that echoed for a moment before the crowd went absolutely insane.

“Chriiiiiissss!” Minako cried as she continued to applaud; the “Quiet Please” screens had to be employed for the first time in a while to get the crowd to quiet down. “I remember when you came out with this for Hollywood Week, I loved it then and now I absolutely adore it. The video for this song is so iconic and I can see the homage to it in your dancing as well. The most impressive thing is how much control you have over your voice while dancing in those boots! That is so not easy! I think it's safe to say you've come a very long way. Fantastic performance!!”

“I gotta hand it to you, that was one hell of a way to open this show,” Celestino said. “I think with all the different themes we have going on here sometimes the reasons we actually put you through to Hollywood in the first place get lost. You had _it_ when you walked into the door for your audition and you just keep getting better. Amazing performance.”

“I have said it before and I will say it again: You will be a star no matter how far you go on this show,” Yakov said. “You have everything you need to be one of the biggest pop stars in the world. Your vocal on this was also massively improved, much more confident in your own abilities. You are a force to be reckoned with.”

Morooka played off of Yakov's words by edging slowly up to Chris as if he were intimidated, and then shaded his eyes as he looked up at him, with Chris towering a full six inches taller than normal in the boots. “I don't know, I think everyone's got a lot to compete with tonight!” Morooka said. “Excellent job my friend!” He then turned to the cameras and recited Chris' voting information before thanking him for his performance, at which Chris headed backstage to change back into normal shoes with a final strut as he walked out of range of the spotlights.

“Our next performer has definitely come a long way since we first met him in his audition in Moscow. For a little more on why he chose this song, let's touch base with Yura Plisetsky,” Morooka introduced as he turned toward the screen.

_Shot of Yura on interview set_ “This was the first song I did in Hollywood Week. I didn't like admitting it at the time but I didn't know as much as I thought I did about performing. You always think you're really good until you get into a situation where there are a lot of people who know more than you do, and for a while you feel kind of like you aren't good at it.” _Footage of Yura's audition_ “At first I was going to do my audition song again, but the other contestants said they liked this song better when I did it. One of the things I've learned since I got here is to listen to what others tell you so you take it and get better. And practicing for this week has shown me how far I have come. I'm excited to do this one again.” _Cut to Morooka at stage left._

“Bringing back 'Believer' by Imagine Dragons, here is Yura Plisetsky!” Morooka said, turning toward the stage with a sweeping gesture of his hand.

The song began with the powerful drum beats, Yura standing at center stage. As he started the vocal it was immediately apparent how much he'd learned; there was a sharpness to the delivery of it, the diction of the lyrics clearer and with more attitude that was focused and on purpose rather than an effect of his personality. He pulled the mic out of the stand and proceeded to move about the stage as he sang the first two verses, gesturing with his free hand as he presented the song. At the chorus he didn't half-shout the high notes as he had before, the delivery void of the “teen angst” feel and instead sung with the more inspiring feel that the song was meant to have. After singing the final breakdown verse he went full out into the final chorus, this time letting his emotions get to him a bit more and losing a bit of control of his voice, but not so much that it took away from the song. The crowd responded in kind with wild applause and cheers and some signs held up as well, and Yura smiled with satisfaction as he walked up to the mark at center stage.

“Yura! Hey buddy how did that feel up there?” Celestino asked; Yura responded with a nod and smile. “I liked this song for you the first time around and this was even better now. You really have evolved tremendously in a short period of time. You're learning a lot more about delivery and presentation and it definitely shows, great job.”

“You have grown very quickly and coming back to this song shows how much talent was hiding below the inexperience,” Yakov said. “You just needed to learn what to do with it, and you will learn a lot more in the years of your career to come. But this shows us that we can expect to see excellence for all of those years.”

“It's really gratifying to see how much you have grown. I see influences not only from the artists whose songs you've done but also from your fellow contestants. This shows how much you have taken all that to heart and it shows that we can look forward to so much more from you. I'm so excited to see what's next for you after this journey,” Minako said.

Morooka walked up to Yura and shook his hand firmly in congratulations, then read off his voting information before sending him back to the chairs and turning back to the cameras.

“When we come back, Mila revisits romance, JJ gives us a second listen to one of his original songs, and Phichit returns to the river. Stay with us. THIS... is Superstar Grand Prix!

As the show went to the break Yura returned to the chairs, where Mila gave him a big hug before heading over to center stage. He sat down, still grinning from the high of his performance.

“That was seriously so much better,” Phichit said. “It's hard to believe you're the same person.”

“Yeah... it felt different this time too. I knew more about what to expect and knew what I needed to do to make the song fit this stage, if that makes sense,” Yura said. “It didn't feel like karaoke or something.”

“I think you take everything more seriously now too,” Victor noted. “I don't know if you had a real idea of the scope of things when we got to Hollywood, not that any of us really did. But for someone so young with no previous experience it can be terrifying.”

Yura nodded quietly at that. “Yeah... I was kinda scared then I guess. I mean, Grandpa had come all the way here with me and I didn't want to go home the first day you know? If I was gonna do this and he was going to do all this for me too, I had to figure shit out and at least make it all worth it.”

Yuri smiled up at him from the lower row of chairs as the 30 seconds to live call went out. “I think you've already done that at more,” Yuri said. “Now you just gotta keep doing it and stick around as long as you can.”

“That's the plan,” Yura said with a smirk in return.

“And we are back,” Morooka began as the live broadcast resumed. “We first met this young lady in Moscow, and she's turned into a real powerhouse since. Let's see what Mila has to say about this week's performance.”

_Shot of Mila on interview set_ “Hollywood Week performances are very sparse for a reason, because they want to hear your voice first and foremost. You get to show some of your personality but it's mostly about if you have the singing ability to deserve to be there. I did the cover of “Bad Romance” because it was what I was comfortable with and at that time, it was the only style I was used to singing.”  _Clip of Mila singing the song in Hollywood Week, then back to her on interview set_ But now that I'm more comfortable with staging and putting myself out there I wanted to do this song again and have more fun with it, and also have the full band too. I'm more confident now so I knew this was the right choice.”  _Cut to Morooka in the pit with fans._

“Rocking out to Halestorm's cover of Lady Gaga's “Bad Romance”, here is Mila Babicheva!” Morooka introduced.

The song began with Takeshi on the guitar embellished with a wah-wah pedal as Mila strode out, her outfit styled with a Lady Gaga-esque feel mixed with the leather and studs of a hard rock aesthetic. She started the first verse with a growly rasp, stalking around the stage with an almost predatory air as she continued out onto the catwalk around the judges' table for the first chorus, stopping in the center to sing the high vocalization before the edited song cut to the breakdown, where she again sang in her low, growly tone. She paused for the “I want your love, I want your revenge” line to point at Celestino from the catwalk, her eyes narrowing seductively before then turning her attention to Minako as well; as Yakov also watched she felt sassy enough to give him a wink, at which he returned a nearly imperceptible smirk. She bounded up to the main stage for the final chorus, even headbanging a bit as the final guitar riff ended the song with her final, a capella reprise of the hook. The crowd exploded, going totally insane with many high-pitched shrieks from the women in the audience as she took her mark at center stage.

“Is it hot in here? I think it's too hot in here,” Minako began. “Mila that was _ridiculous_. The difference between that first performance and now is like night and day. We already knew you had some confidence and knowledge of how to work that amazing voice you have but this takes it to another level. Lzzy Hale's vocals are not easy to compete with but you kept up with this exceptionally well. And your presentation is off the charts as well, fantastic job. And I want to borrow that outfit sometime by the way,” she grinned, causing the audience and Mila to break into laughter.

“We got a badass up in here!” Celestino grinned. “Your voice has improved so much, especially on that high vocalization. I remember in Hollywood Week you struggled a bit and it sounded more shouty but you've learned how to do that whole cross between a belt and falsetto and it sounded much better.” He paused then as Mila began to say something but without lifting her microphone up, at which he encouraged her to do so.

“I was still having problems with it, but Ms. Lilia helped me a lot,” she said. “It's a technique even she wasn't familiar with but she went out of her way to help me figure it out, so spasibo Ms. Lilia,” she said, turning to Lilia in the front row, who smiled and blew her a kiss in return as Emil grinned from his seat next to her.

“That is proof that even the most experienced of us never stop learning,” Yakov continued. “You are not afraid to take chances and not afraid to try new things. Even though you have done this song before it felt fresh because you have gained more skill with singing and more confidence in your presence onstage. If you continue to be open to learning all you can you will continue to grow and be great.”

Morooka came over then, wrapping a friendly arm around her shoulders in congratulations that she returned with a grin. “I feel like I just watched you leave the nest,” he said and she broke into giggles as he continued on to give her voting information; she headed over to the chairs with a final bow and wave.

“Our next contestant is the only one in the competition that has used an original song,” Morooka continued. “Let's learn a bit more about it from Jean-Jacques.”

_JJ on interview set_ “When I had my audition in Toronto I knew I needed to stand out to be noticed, so I decided to do a song I wrote with my band.”  _Clip of JJ's audition_ “I grew up learning to always be confident in what you do no matter what because you are your own worst enemy otherwise. So I've always tried to be optimistic no matter what.”  _Short montage of JJ's other performances_ “I wanted to do this song the way I always envisioned it. I did a demo with my band but the recording we got to do for our songs this week was the perfect chance to have it done like I hear it in my head. I'm excited to share it in its best form with the world.” (grins at camera)  _Cut to Morooka at center stage._

“With his original song “Theme of King JJ”, here is Jean-Jacques Leroy,” Morooka announced.

The performance began with JJ singing softly, the mid-size orchestra that was utilized for most weeks playing behind him and Takeshi on the piano out front with the rest of the band. The musical interludes were edited so the verses could be fit in. As he began the first chorus JJ began to bounce around the stage, waving an arm and trying to engage the crowd; the gathering of his fans in the front pit area began to scream and cheer. He continued on through the breakdown verse, grinning through the line “I look in the mirror the king smiles at me” before heading into one more reprise of the chorus, his voice turning a bit shouty as he again attempted to rile up the audience; some began to clap along but the response was more what one would expect for a song that wasn't well known. As he finished with one last reprise of the breakdown verse he watched the audience take up a polite round of applause for a few moments, then turned his attention to the devoted fans in the pit waving signs and screaming for him, blowing a few kisses their way before taking the mark at center stage.

Celestino audibly sighed as he leaned into the microphone to begin his critique. “JJ... if I remember correctly, when you did this song in your audition we ended up asking you to do something that gave us a better idea of your vocal abilities. My opinion still stands on that. It's really hard to do an original song for something like this, because having something to compare your performance to when you do an established song makes it easier for not only us, but those at home and in the audience, to be able to evaluate your performance fairly. If I compare this to your audition, sure, it was better, but you really should have done something that suited your voice more readily.”

“I really hoped when this theme was announced that you'd take another shot at “It's A Beautiful Day”, which was really good for you,” Minako said. “It gave us a really good representation of your range and it showed off your personality much more. This song is underwhelming in a lot of ways and it doesn't serve to show your talent the way you seem to think it does.”

Yakov's expression had darkened considerably throughout the performance, and by the time he was done listening to his fellow judges' words, he was ready to mince none of his own. “This song is pretentious and not very good. You do not demand that your fans follow you, nor do you tell them you are the best there is, especially when you have yet to truly break into the business. There is always someone ready to step in, there is always someone in this industry with more talent and skill. This song did nothing to change my opinion of the fact that you are someone who is difficult to work with, and this reputation will proceed you going forward.”

By the time the critique had finished JJ stood with his hands clasped together tightly around the microphone, his expression grim. Morooka even seemed to dispense with attempting to offer any words of encouragement and instead went right into JJ's voting information, then sent him off to the chairs.

“Our next contestant has been one of our standouts since his audition, and once he got on the stage at Hollywood Week he continued to show us his talent. Let's hear from Phichit on his song choice for this week,” Morooka continued.

_Phichit on interview set_ “I wanted to do something different for Hollywood Week that challenged me. I hadn't ever played this song for anyone except Yuri before so it was a bit of a gamble. But if I was going to go for it I figured I should jump in with both feet.”  _Clip of his Sudden Death Hollywood Week performance_ “This song was one of my favorites from the past year and I liked the variations in the range. When I looked back though I realized I wished I had been better at it and had more practice, so that's why I ended up deciding to do it again. I think a lot of people expected me to go for 'Shut Up and Dance' because it's so 'me', but it's not the only thing I'm able to do.”  _Cut to Morooka in the pit with fans._

“Performing 'Hold Back the River' by James Bay, here is Phichit Chulanont!” Morooka said, turning toward the stage as the fans around him in the pit cheered wildly.

Phichit had elected not to play guitar this time to concentrate on the nuances in the vocals. He stood at center stage, the lighting moody as he began the softer opening verse and continued on into the chorus, holding the microphone with both hands interlocked around it, eyes closed as he took in the mood of the song. The edited version moved from the softly-sung first chorus to the beginning of the “lonely water” breakdown which also started soft then rose progressively until Phichit pulled the microphone out of its stand to belt out the final, one-octave higher final chorus which repeated twice. He moved to the front of the stage, walking along the edge and singing a few notes at some of the fans, making eye contact here and there which set off cheers and squeals. He returned to center stage for the final, softly-sung line, the lighting fading to near black as the electric guitar playing the notes to accompany him faded out as well. The crowd erupted in cheers and screams as the lights came up and Phichit walked to the mark at stage front and center, grinning and waving to the crowd.

“My first thought is that I like that you chose to change it by not playing guitar this time,” Yakov began. “We know you are skilled on the instrument. This time you made the wise choice to focus on your voice, which has improved a thousandfold in a very short time. Your control in the difficult lower range is impressive, and you know how to portray the emotions without sacrificing vocal quality. Excellent performance.”

“You have an old school rock star quality about you at times,” Celestino continued. “There was swagger in this performance that I didn't see the first time around and didn't even see in some of your more recent performances. Your voice has grown so much and I can tell you're taking everything in that you've been learning and putting it to good use. This was a major upgrade, awesome performance.”

“You sound great, you look great, and you're blossoming into this amazing performer that can command a stage whether or not you have a guitar in your hands or you're at a piano,” Minako added. “This was an excellent choice to show us how far you have come because the first performance of it was really great, but very much by the numbers. This time you weren't afraid to extend yourself and take the chance of not having an instrument to fall back on. Really great, I loved it!”

Phichit couldn't help but grin as Morooka came up to him, shaking his hand. “Lookin' good there my friend, great performance!” he complimented. He continued on to Phichit's voting information and sent him off to the chairs before turning back to the cameras.

“When we come back, we'll have the final two performances of the evening. Yuri revisits his Showcase Round performance, and Victor will give his audition song a makeover. You won't want to miss it so stay tuned. THIS... is Superstar Grand Prix!”

Phichit came jogging over to the chairs just in time to get a congratulatory hug from Yuri, who was heading over to center stage to get ready for his performance. Before he sat down Yura reached over and high-fived him from the top row while Mila offered a hug; Chris and Victor also offered their congratulations. JJ sat quietly in his top row seat, seeming rather pensive.

“That really sounded so much better,” Victor said. “I loved it when you did it the first time, but your voice has gotten more depth to it and it resonated much more on the low notes.”

Phichit nodded. “Yeah, I had been working on expanding that low range because I always had trouble with control,” he confirmed. “Working with Lilia helped a lot, she taught me how to open up my throat and chest the right way. Those notes aren't low for most people but I'm a high tenor so they were struggle bus for me.” Chris and Victor both broke into laughter at Phichit's penchant for always having some unique way of explaining things as the call for 30 seconds to live went up.

“And we are back with the first of our final two performances of the evening,” Morooka continued. “Our next contestant performed this song in what became the first of his signature performances on the show. This was the first time we really saw him open up, and it most certainly wasn't the last. Let's get some insight from Yuri on his choice for this week's redux.”

_Cut to Yuri on interview set_ “I was really nervous for the Showcase Round, because I hadn't ever performed in front of that many people before and the one time I had before, it kind of hadn't gone as well as I'd have liked. So it was a pretty big step for me.”  _Clip of his Showcase performance_ “This song had always been one of my favorites. It was one of the first songs I heard on the radio when I arrived in the US, in the taxi on the way from the airport to where I was going to be living in Detroit. The lyrics reminded me of things the people who always supported me had always said, so when I did it the first time it was comforting to sing those words and remember that they're always there for me. But song meanings can change over time, for both the artist and the listener. And now with this song I am going to pay the support of someone close to me forward by singing this for them.” (smiles, blushes)  _Cut to Morooka at judges' table, standing behind Minako_

“Performing 'Soldier' by Gavin DeGraw, here is Yuri Katsuki!” Morooka introduced.

As the cameras panned to the stage Yuri began to play the baby grand piano, singing the 'la da da' intro before going into the gospel-tinged vocal line of the verse. His voice was much more powerful and confident, the emotions in it already present as he sang through the first chorus. As the song went into the second verse and the band joined in his vocal became even more passionate. Rather than cutting to the second chorus, the edit of the song went from the end of the second verse to the change, with Yuri's voice taking on an easy, melodic air as he sang, the nervousness of the original performance gone. As the edit of the song went into the breakdown version of the chorus his voice rang out over the room, then as the band came in for the second half he stood up, kicking the piano bench out from under him and playing the rest of the song standing.

As the music transitioned into the backing singers doing the “na na na” part as Yuri improvised, Phichit, Victor and Mila all jumped up and began waving their arms back and forth to get the crowd to do it as they had in the Showcase round, and within moments the entire room was full of swaying hands. As Yuri went into the reprise of the beginning vocalization that ended the song, he looked up from the piano; upon seeing the audience response he was filled with a rush of emotion, his voice cracking a bit as the band stopped playing and his own piano notes accompanied the last few sung ones, tears welling up in his eyes again and body trembling with the adrenaline of nailing the song even better the second time around. His composure took another hit as he walked up to the mark at stage front and center, as he saw all three judges giving him a standing ovation. He wiped at his eyes under his glasses and took a few deep breaths as he waited for the audience to quiet down in response to the “Quiet Please” screens.

“Yuri, god dammit what planet are you from?” Celestino blurted out, causing just about everyone in the room to break into laughter. “I didn't think you could do that song any better than we saw it in the Showcase Round but you had this room in the palm of your hand. Your vocal was even more on point this time around too and the depth in it is amazing. Last time as well I felt like you were a little worried about opening up with a song that is obviously very personal to you but this time you just let it fly and it was amazing. Fantastic performance.”

Minako was actually still dabbing at her eyes with a tissue when her turn to speak came up. “It has been really amazing to see you grow from a shy, sweet kid into this really emotional, affecting performer. This type of music is perfect for you and it's obvious that you have the power to take over a room with just who you are. We always knew that all you had to do was believe in yourself, and I think today proves it. This was so great, I can't even find the right words.”

“You will be in our final two, I am certain of it,” Yakov said, pausing for the subsequent explosion of cheers and screams from the crowd. “You are coming into your own at just the right time. You have always been considered a front runner and this performance shows that it is well-deserved.”

Morooka came over then to give Yuri a pat on the back before shaking his hand in congratulations. “Knocked it out of the park my friend, that was amazing,” he said with a smile before turning to the cameras to recite Yuri's voting info, after which Yuri headed back to the chairs with one final wave and bow.

“And now we have reached the final performance of the night,” Morooka said. “Let's hear what Victor has to say about his song choice.”

_Victor on the interview set_ “When I auditioned, I had like four songs in mind that I wanted to do and was still trying to decide on the best one while I was sitting there waiting to be called. When I walked in the room I still wasn't sure, so when they asked I said the first one that came to mind. It was probably the worst one to pick because it really is hard to do justice with just a piano. I guess I got lucky that I sang it well that day.” (smiles)  _Footage of Victor's audition_ “At first when we were picking songs, everyone wanted me to do 'Immigrant Song' again.  _Footage of his Showcase performance_ But I really felt like I couldn't improve on that performance. But this one, I felt that I could take it up several notches. Takeshi knew of an arrangement that would work well, so we decided to go with that. Now we'll see if I can still sing it well enough. (grins)  _Cut to Morooka at stage right._

“Performing 'Dream On' by Aerosmith, here is Victor Nikiforov!” Morooka announced, gesturing to the stage with a flourish.

The song began with the hum and rumble of the orchestra as if they were tuning up for about four bars, then the drummer of the band clicking his sticks and leading the orchestra and band into the song. The spotlight slowly illuminated Victor, dressed in a long black leather coat, flowing shirt open to the navel, ripped jeans and black boots, scarves tied to the mic stand in a nod to Steven Tyler. He sang the first verse with a sensitive, slightly raspy tone then moved up into his clear midrange for the change with a high-pitched staccato scream before going back down to the low range for the second verse. The edited version of the song omitted the guitar solo, seguing into the second change as the orchestra began to build. As he moved into the “dream on, dream on” bridge buildup the tension in Victor's posture and voice grew in kind until he hit the impossibly high screamed “dream on” and the trademark extended scream before the final, fully-orchestrated chorus.

Over in the chairs Phichit and Mila had both been brought to tears, with Yuri trying not to and eventually failing as Victor stood at the edge of the stage, microphone stand over his head as the orchestra drew out the final extended note. He brought the stand down, emotion causing him to lose his hold on it and send it skittering across the stage behind him after only meaning to spike it down on the tripod end. Adrenaline pulsed through him and he held back his own tears, then stood up, spinning around, punching the air and letting out a yell as the energy overflowed.

The audience was in complete bedlam for several long moments, with even the “Quiet Please” screens doing nothing to calm it down; Takeshi walked out from his place on stage, guitar still hanging around his shoulders, to high five Victor and give him a hearty thump on the back with a hand. Victor finally stepped up to the mark at stage front and center, with Celestino yelling Victor's name several times to cut through the audience and signal for them to settle down, which they finally did.

“I... I'm speechless. I knew you had this kind of thing in you but god _damn_ ,” Celestino said, shaking his head. “There is nothing I can possibly say about this because there aren't words. That was _phenomenal_. It was on another level entirely. They're going to have to repair the roof after this I think,” he laughed, causing Victor to break into a grin and the audience to laugh as well.

Minako was again dabbing at her own eyes as she leaned into the mic to speak. “I honestly don't know what else to say either. That was transcendent. A rock star like you is something we don't see enough of anymore and I honestly think you can bring it back single-handedly. I'd say you were born in the wrong era, but then we wouldn't have you showing all these kids with their computers who think they're making music out there today how it's done, and that this art form called singing isn't completely lost.”

“You are already a star. You no longer even need this show, but I am selfish enough to want you to stay to see what else you can give us because I firmly believe there is much more than this. You are just beginning your journey,” Yakov concluded.

Morooka walked up to Victor and paused a step or two before him, performing a 'we're not worthy' bow that completely cracked Victor up as he waved a hand and told him to stop. The host then gave Victor a hearty thump on the back. “Celestino's right, they're calling the roofers as we speak,” he said, causing Victor to laugh again as he'd just begun to settle down. Morooka recited his voting information, then introduced the retrospective montage of everyone's performances as the other contestants came over from the chairs. Mila and Phichit ran over and tacklehugged Victor with Yuri on their heels; even Yura joined in the group hug along with Chris. JJ waited until they'd broken up to step in and give Victor a one-armed congratulatory hug as the video montage ended, with Seung Gil directing the contestants to stand behind Morooka and face the audience.

“Judges before we go tonight, what's your take on tonight's show,” Morooka said; Yuri looked over at the digital clocks that were hidden in the lip of the stage and saw that they were running about a minute and a half under time, thus explaining the random question.

“Everyone has grown in some way,” Minako said. “Everyone has learned things about who they are as performers and what they'll need to keep moving forward. Sometimes it's good to revisit things like this, because you lose sight of your accomplishments within all the chaos.”

“Absolutely,” Celestino agreed. “What we've seen tonight is very indicative of what we can expect from all of these contestants in the future, and overall it's very bright. In fact...” He reached into the pocket of his denim jacket and put on his sunglasses, causing all in the room to break into laughter again.

“There is more talent on that stage right now than I see on the charts at present,” Yakov said. “I could not be more happy with what I am seeing so far, and we are not done yet.”

“All right folks, there you have it. This has been an amazing show. But I'd like to remind you all that you have to _vote for your favorites_ to keep them in the competition! Never assume a great performance leads anyone to be safe. _Make sure you vote!_ And also make sure you join us tomorrow for the results show, when our musical guests will be Imagine Dragons. Until then... Morooka – out!”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, profuse apologies for this chapter being late. I was hit by the lovely chunk of frozen tundra called writers' block, and have been chipping away at this chapter a bit every day for the last little while. I _think_ I have gotten past it; however, I might still be busy for a bit longer this month before I can finally get back on a normal schedule. My Christmas tree is still up because I really wanted to get this chapter done and posted, lol!
> 
> The [playlist](https://open.spotify.com/user/fallbackintome/playlist/0jJjh4a3fv5oXd7iSJMhSH) has been updated with all the songs mentioned in this chapter. For the Rewind Week songs, I tried to find alternate versions and was able to do that for all but Mila's song; I'd been hoping Halestorm had released a live version, but it doesn't seem they have. I also went back and changed the repeat of "Sorry Not Sorry" from R&B Week to a remix version I found, so there weren't too many duplicates in the playlist.
> 
> As always, thanks so much for reading, and all the comments and kudos. Please feel free to share this with anyone you think may like it! I'll do my best to not keep you all waiting too long for this next chapter, but if that ends up happening just know I would make every effort to post a dummy chapter letting you know if I needed any kind of hiatus.
> 
> I hope your New Year is going well so far! See you next time :)


	13. Results - Week Six and Live Shows - Week Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I'm going to have a talk with Yuuto and Satoko immediately,” Seung Gil said, irritation coloring his tone. “Just because we had surprise drama last week that boosted our ratings doesn't mean we have to manufacture it to keep them. I think everyone is getting a little too caught up in this and forgetting that we're dealing with human beings, not commodities. Sure they're all going to be stars, but that doesn't mean you treat them like robots for your agenda.”

**RealityBytes – The #1 Source For All Your Reality Show Needs || www.realitybytes.com**

**THE WEEKLY BUZZ – SUPERSTAR GRAND PRIX _by Allison Winter_**

Just like any competition reality show that involves voting, Superstar Grand Prix has had its share of controversy. Lately it's been all about how the majority of viewers, as well as our readers both here on the blog and on our social media platforms, have been in complete shock that JJ Leroy is still in the competition. Don't get me wrong, he's quite talented. But I've watched enough of these singing competitions to know the type of contestant he is: he's That Guy who has absolutely no experience, but at the same time thinks he knows it all because his family tells him he's perfection. This is one of the most annoying types of contestants. Unfortunately, it seems more and more like this particular type is cast specifically to cause drama. I knew when I watched JJ's audition that he was going to be trouble. I even said to my partner, “He'll stay in way longer than he should because he'll piss people off”. Unfortunately, I called it; I'm sure you'll all remember my live blogging of the auditions when I said just that, and then again during Hollywood Week.

Well, now it seems JJ has become That Contestant in another identifiable way: The one with the messy family members. You know what I'm talking about. After JJ was safe last week, sending Sara Crispino home (I am STILL not over this, but that's a post for another day), Twitter _exploded_. More like imploded really. Sara's fans were the most vocal and angry (rightfully so – iwillnotrantiwillnotrantiwillnotrant), and the fan bases of the other contestants chimed in as well. Twitter being what it is, things started to get nasty when those few rotten apples in every bunch – there are some in all the remaining Superstars' fan bases, and their handles are getting easier to recognize by the day – started slamming JJ not only for his OTT performances, but for other parts of his personal life that were highlighted in the video shorts about him. There's also a fair amount of info on JJ on the Internet; he's all over the websites for his college and church, and also for a few music blogs due to his work with his band. He's also got a budding modeling career going so there's some interesting photos on a few photographers' sites as well. All of this put together has provided ammo for the trolls and they were out in force after last week's results show.

Said trolls went into overtime to unearth dirt, including the fact that JJ's had several music teachers over the years. One of those lovely adults decided that the tabloids paid well enough to tell the story of how attempting to teach him correct vocal technique was absolutely impossible because he always insisted on doing things the way he liked, rather than what was correct. A piano teacher also took a payday to tell all about how he was an absolute monster to give lessons to because apparently he would just go off and do his own thing each week rather than adhering to what he was given. And then there was the scandalous, “barely legal” underwear modeling campaign for a local department store chain that happened a year ago. There are also rumors from supposed “insiders” that there was a blowout between him and Victor Nikiforov on the SGP set that have leaked, fueling that particular, unsavory subset of Victor's fan base that has been increasingly rearing their heads every week to come for JJ hard.

JJ, as he should, did not acknowledge the trolls on Twitter, but at the same time he took to retweeting and liking the megastans' tweets. His considerably large family also got into the act, with a few of his siblings getting into tussles on Twitter. But then, the kiss of death for most reality show contestants happened: We found out that JJ has a Stage Mom, as in, that kind who probably would have been causing drama during Hollywood Week if she'd been JJ's chaperone, like we've seen so many times on American Idol. She made a Twitter account when JJ made it to the live shows and had been relatively OK, but she lost her collective composure last week. And let me tell you, it was not a good look. We've seen it many times over the years with contestants on different shows; it doesn't matter how young or old they are, when family members get overprotective or heated about what's being said about their baby, all hell breaks loose and it doesn't take long after that until the contestant is off the show.

Suffice it to say, JJ's song choice this week did him absolutely no favors. It was this pretentious original that put me off to him from the start, and trust me when I say that first impressions on a reality show are more important than anything else you'll do. You can't tell me the producers didn't know they'd struck gold when he walked in proclaiming himself the winner, and they've stuck to this narrative from day one. There's a very solid chance that JJ is more than likely cocky and confident, but I do also think there's a liberal helping of the villain edit going on. But. Reprising the song that gave him this reputation was the most ill-advised idea he's had yet. I can deal with the OTT performances, I just hit mute. But when you've gotten slammed for several weeks running for not going home, you don't do a song where you're talking about being the king of the world. You'll sink yourself just like the boat in the movie that famous line of the same wording is from.

Needless to say Twitter was a _mess_ last night. It's unusual for JJ to not be on at all after the live shows; he's already got a small group of what the others in the fan base call the Chosen Few, that he'll respond to each week (bad idea. Bad. Idea.) and subsequently those fans are ~~sucked up to~~ considered the bigwigs in the fandom. There's also a subset who stan his Mom now for “telling it like it is” after an impressively messy Twitter rant last night, which is even more alarming. I honestly hope he's taken a step back and wasn't paying attention to the melee going on. If he was smart, he'd stay off social media until his time on the show is over... which, I really don't think we'll be waiting much longer to see happen.

It's been a good run for Jean-Jacques Leroy. He's got enough of a fan base to build on, got his name out there around the world. It's probably for the best that he gets the boot this week so he can continue to JJ Style however he wants because if he sticks around much longer, he'll end up being hated and his career will be dead in the water. He'll be “that guy that no one could stand from Grand Prix Superstar”. Being on a show like this can be soul-crushing enough, but add in the weight of a million keyboard warriors and it's just not going to go well at all. I don't usually actively root for someone to get voted off, but all things considered, it's probably overdue for him to get out of Dodge – for his own sake, and even possibly his own well-being going forward.

  


  


**Superstar Mansion – Morning of Results Show**

JJ nearly threw his phone across the room when the alarm went off after he'd managed a fitful few hours of sleep. He'd made the big mistake of getting online when they'd gotten back to the mansion, even though he knew after the reception his performance had gotten from the judges, what lurked there wouldn't be pretty. But now things had gotten a bit too out of control.

He'd started out with phoning his youngest siblings, the ones who were the most active on Twitter. They were typical young teens who thrived on the drama of it all; they'd been obsessed with the breakup of One Direction for months when it had occurred, and had gone on and on about how much better Camila was having left Fifth Harmony. They lived for fandom discourse, and for the most part he'd laughed it off or rolled his eyes. But now he was the subject of the latest drama they'd immersed themselves in, and to say it was awkward was putting it mildly. He'd ordered them to get off Twitter immediately and stop antagonizing the other contestants' fans, in particular Yura's. There had been rumors from 'insiders' – Seung Gil had told them they were trying to find the source of the blind items that were coming out each week from the show that exposed things no one would know if they didn't work somewhere within Eros Entertainment – that JJ and Yura had a contentious relationship to say the least. So when a mob of JJ's teen fans went after Yura's primarily teenage fanbase, his two youngest siblings had jumped into the fray. It took some convincing, but he breathed a sigh of relief when they both seemed to log out from the platform not long after he'd ended the call.

His mother, however, had been a plot twist he hadn't expected. JJ had always known his parents had his back. They'd gotten him out of enough scrapes over the years. Every time a music teacher or school teacher clashed with his personality, they'd swooped in and found him another school, another teacher, until those options ran out and he'd been homeschooled. But those were tangible situations, things that could be controlled in whatever way the adults in his life dealt with such things; he'd been too young for most of it to really understand what went on that enabled him to move on seemingly without repercussions. But seeing his mother antagonize fans his own age just because they were fans of one of the other Superstars, sending berating and angry tweets to any blogger that said even one negative word about him... it was all too much.

During the evening once they'd all gotten back to the mansion, Victor and Yuri especially had tried to keep JJ from reading what was being said about him. But he'd made the mistake of reading the op-ed of the #1 reality show blogger in the US, Allison Winter of RealityBytes, and it had basically deflated any optimism he'd found in the situation at hand. It didn't help that, after Sara had been eliminated in his stead the week before, he'd started feeling the same way; having it confirmed just made it that much worse. He'd always heard about those contestants that were happy to get eliminated because the show turned out to be something they'd come to dislike for whatever reason, and he could never understand it. He hadn't been able to fathom how anyone could have such a lucky break and _want_ it to end. That was all gone now... after the last few weeks, he _totally_ understood it.

But when he'd told his mother the night before that he actually was hoping to get eliminated, she'd lost her damn mind. Telling him he didn't deserve to go, that he sang much better than that “screaming rocker boy” and the “stripper” and the “Russian brat”. And even though JJ had caused the distance between him and the other contestants himself by being a mix of awkward, anxious and just plain obnoxious, hearing someone who had always told him to think the best of everyone doing the exact opposite was jarring to say the least. His mother was letting this amazing opportunity he was trying to make the best of get to her head. And that was what cemented his feeling that it would just be best if Morooka read his name last at tonight's results show.

If nothing else, this experience had helped him learn a lot about himself. It had been a harsh realization he'd come to, as he lay in bed staring at the ceiling after being too anxious and upset to sleep. He had a lot to learn about listening to the right things, and how to separate praise from ass-kissing. He could still do it JJ Style... but he'd have to seriously rethink what that even meant now.

Against his better judgment, he'd checked to see if his siblings had kept their promise to stay out of the fray and found their Twitter accounts had been dormant since the night before. They'd be in school in a couple of hours; they'd be just getting up on the opposite end of the continent with the time difference. Hopefully that would keep them occupied. He'd begged his mother to step away too, but after he'd stopped looking and turned off his phone entirely she'd apparently gone on a rant that strung together a thread of nearly 50 tweets where she extolled the virtues of her son and why he deserved to win the competition. She'd insulted the other contestants along the way as well, and he really hoped it hadn't gotten back to them all. She'd riled up all of the other fan bases and they were all actively calling for his elimination, with Sara and Leo's the most vocal.

JJ put the phone down and sat up, burying his face in his hands. It was going to be a very, very long day.

  


“Well... at least the photos are flattering. To be very honest, this was nothing anyone didn't already know that knew me. I'm really not that concerned.”

The fandom discourse on Twitter had not just stopped with JJ, it had turned out. The fans of the three remaining Russian contestants had been at odds from the beginning, and overnight someone had managed to track down a deleted website that had been archived via the Wayback Machine of Russians who had gone to various LGBTQ events around the world. One of those featured a section on the annual Burning Man event in the Nevada desert from 2012, and some rather interesting photos had come up of one Victor Nikiforov. Said photos were now all over the more shady and unscrupulous message boards and rogue indie blogs, including a few devoted to trashing the show and its contestants.

“I don't know Victor, I kind of like this blue sparkly outfit with the angel wings,” Mila said. “It's really creative.”

“If you can call it an outfit,” Chris said bemusedly. “I mean... as much as a matching satin, feathered and rhinestoned G-string and bondage-esque chest harness can be called as such.”

“It's the desert. It gets hot there during the day. I had to be appropriately dressed,” Victor said nonchalantly.

“I hope you used SPF 3000, that's a lot of exposed skin,” Phichit quipped. “And some really butt-ugly tan lines.”

Victor then pulled up another photo that clearly showed he was wearing a fleshtoned hologram fabric bodysuit that made him look as if he had rainbows running through his skin. “I am always prepared for any situation,” he replied.

“Okay yeah, that's fucking cool as shit,” Mila said. “You should wear that for one of the shows coming up.” Everyone broke into laughter at that.

“Somehow I _don't_ think the producers would let me go that far,” Victor laughed. “Besides, I'm out of the glam phase. It was fun but the whole Bohemian... thing wasn't for me.” He scrolled through a few more shots of some of his other crazy outfits. He'd already recounted to everyone how one photographer in particular had taken a shine to him; she'd followed him around for most of the event despite the fact that there were ten thousand people in attendance.

“How are you not freaking out about this?” JJ asked as he finished his breakfast.

Victor shrugged. “Dressing up in costumes and running around in the desert getting drunk isn't exactly scandalous. I had fun. I'm not going to apologize for it. It was something I'd always read about and wanted to do and I scraped up enough money to go for it. I'd never do it again though. I was finding sand in places I didn't know I had for weeks.”

JJ shook his head in amazement. “I wish I had a tenth of your don't give a fucks, honestly,” he said.

“Yuri, how are you doing today?” Yura asked from across the table as Victor took a phone call, getting up to walk out of the room to talk.

Yuri sighed heavily. While JJ had been dealing with his own drama and Victor handling the discovery of the photos, Yuri had gotten a call from his sister informing him that one of his old dance classmates had uploaded the video of him crashing and burning at his dance recital in college, making a point of mentioning that Yuri had written and performed the music as well. Ironically, while JJ's fan base had gone in on it and used it to trash Yuri, several more of his acquaintances from college – some he'd only known in passing – had stepped up with the story behind what had happened. By the following morning the video had become a non-issue, to the point that the person who'd uploaded it had removed it after being pressured by those said acquaintances and Yuri's fans.

“I'm... I'm okay. I'm glad I had you guys to lean on last night. I mean... it's not as bad as it could have been to be honest. I knew that video was out there somewhere, everyone that was in the competition had a copy and it was streamed on the college's site. I'm actually surprised it didn't come out sooner.”

“Even still... it sucks that someone decided it was a good idea to upload it,” Phichit said. “It was a rough time for you and obviously you've done a lot to overcome it since then.”

“What you've done on the show pretty much cancels that one bad performance out,” Chris said. “And believe me, I'm waiting for the videos of me doing godawful routines on the pole when I was starting out to surface. I know for a fact some of them are horrid.”

“It's interesting though... Victor's pictures are 'controversial', but this video of you is kind of not a big deal. It's just so fascinating to me how this whole fandom thing works,” Mila said.

“They're only controversial because people have finally found something to tear him down for,” JJ said, causing everyone to look over at him with curious frowns. “Seriously though... up till now, there hasn't been anything anyone could call Victor out on. He's also the favorite to win. I've seen how these fans will jump on any little thing that makes the one they hate look bad and in turn, in their opinion, makes their favorite look good. Victor's doing the right thing by not making a big deal about it. I wish I'd been as smart.”

“It's easy to fall into the whole 'communicating with fans' and stuff though. But it's kind of scary how sometimes they think they know you because of it,” Mila said. “Sara and I started getting some creepy tweets after it came out that we were a couple. I did a lot of blocking the last few weeks.”

Victor returned to the room then, looking quite amused. “So the producers got wind of the pictures,” Victor said. “That was Seung Gil. He asked if I wanted to address it on the show tonight and I said no because I had nothing to apologize for. He agreed, but I get the impression he just saved me from an unpleasant surprise for the results show.”

“Oh god, I would hope not,” Yuri said. “It's not like they were nudes or anything.”

“And if they were, who cares?” Chris said. “People make too much of a big deal about being naked. That's the only reason it's a problem when something like that leaks.”

“This shit is all starting to get crazy though,” Yura said. “Grandpa was even worried last night when the drama was happening. He asked me if I was okay. It's not like I have any skeletons out there, but it kind of got us into a discussion as to whether or not I really want to keep doing this. I do... and this has been a good crash course on what to expect.”

“Very true,” Victor said. “I already had a rapport with the fans from my YouTube channel, but there's far more now. I've had to stop replying even to people I talked to previously on there because if you do it for one you get 5000 “notice meeeee” tweets. It's fine to acknowledge your fans, but... this whole experience adds the element to it that they feel you owe them something because they voted for you and kept you going on the show. It's a dangerous thing and we'll all have to be very careful in the future.”

“It just... I didn't think my family would be this... extra,” JJ said. “I knew they all supported me but... I'm more worried about them than me. I'll get through it, but my family is pretty well known where we're from. I just don't want anything happening especially to my kid sisters and brothers. Some of the things I've seen... people get way too pissed off about something that ultimately doesn't really matter all that much. I'll be fine whether I go home tonight or not. Don't threaten other people just because they don't like me, you know?”

“Yeah... it's getting a bit ugly the closer we get to the end,” Victor said. “The main thing is that we all have to remember that at the end of the day, this is a reality show. The show is what it is. But we have all become friends. Maybe we all haven't gotten along, but that's to be expected. But we know each other better than any fans on Twitter do. And that's the most important thing, to not let that influence seep in to our friendships.”

“Besides,” Yura said as everyone nodded in agreement, “Ten of us are gonna be stuck traveling together for god knows how long on the tour. I am not putting up with any shit from you assholes when we're stuck for sixteen hours on a god damned tin can of a bus.”

Everyone broke into laughter then including Nikolai, who was cleaning up the breakfast dishes in the kitchen. “Nah, we'll be fine,” Chris said. “Like Victor said, we've had our scuffles but I think we're all learning about each other and where we're coming from.” He turned to JJ then, who nodded in return. “If you just think the trolls as those creepy little dolls with the fuzzy hair, they don't seem so bad.”

Yuri cracked up a second time then. “Oh my god, can't unsee!” he laughed. “Leave it to you, Chris.”

“I am the eternal optimist,” Chris grinned. “Someone's gotta do it.”

“Well I'm glad it's contagious,” Phichit said. “Because I think we're all gonna need it to get through the rest of this crazy ride.”

  


  


**Results Show – Dress Rehearsal**

“What the fuck? That's such bullshit! Why didn't they tell us so we could stick around??”

Yura was extremely disappointed to find out that Imagine Dragons had arrived at the studio just after the contestants had left the night before to record their performance, as they had another commitment for the night of the results show itself. The contestants had wondered why there seemed to be a bit of a rush to get them on their way back to the mansion, and it turned out that the band had used the same dressing rooms as the Superstars. They had, however, left each of the remaining contestants an autographed promotional photo with personal messages written on the back from each member of the band, wishing them good luck on the rest of their time on the show and offering apologies for missing them. And while the gesture was more than they'd needed to do, Yura was understandably upset as he'd performed their song “Believer” the night before and was a big fan of the band.

“Well, you never know, there might be a chance to meet them down the line,” Victor said, trying to offer some optimism even as he understood. “But that really is disappointing, I was looking forward to seeing them live myself.”

Once the dress rehearsal proper was over the contestants worked a bit more on their group number before heading backstage to wait for the show to begin. They had all tried as best they could to refrain from checking in online, but Victor had been far too amused to the various reactions to the old photos that had been found and posted and was now skimming through an unofficial Superstar message board, reading the reactions and laughing.

“My Twitter is blowing up with people begging me to wear the angel outfit,” he laughed. “I don't even have it anymore and I wouldn't have brought it with me anyway. This is hilarious though.” He proceeded to read aloud some of the more risque tweets, causing everyone to crack up in amusement of their own.

Yuri was over by the craft services table when he heard his name called. He looked over to the door to see Seung Gil there, and headed over.

“Can you come with me for a minute?” Seung Gil asked.

“Uh, sure,” Yuri said. “What's up?”

“Nothing bad,” Seung Gil reassured him. “Someone just wants to talk with you.” He led Yuri to the conference room, where to Yuri's surprise, Minako was sitting with her coffee.

“Hi Yuri-san,” she said with a smile as she gestured for him to sit.

“Hi,” he said, feeling the edges of some nervousness creeping in even as she seemed quite relaxed, smiling warmly.

“So, this video that surfaced of you last night,” she began. “You wrote that music? And did the choreography?”

“Y...yes,” he said. “It didn't go very well though, obviously... I was going through some stuff at the time.”

“That was very easy to see,” she said. “The type of unfocused I saw in the performance was definitely personal difficulties. I've seen it enough in my time in dance to know that. But the parts that you performed well were spectacular,” she said. “Did you perform the music too?”

“I did,” he said. “The two piano tracks were mine, and other members of the music department were the other musicians.”

“We're starting to put together ideas for the finale results show,” she said. “How would you feel... about a redo?”

Yuri's eyes went wide. “You mean... dance it again?” he asked.

Minako nodded. “Yes,” she replied. “It looked amazing. I think it would be fantastic to showcase your other talents outside of singing. I'd love to work with you on this. Everyone from the top 12 is going to get a performance in the finale show, and we're looking at showcasing anything else everyone is good at. Everyone knows your singing. But now that so many people have seen this, I think it would be amazing for you to come out there and smash it.”

“I... can I think about it a little?” he asked. “I had kind of left the whole thing behind me and although I'd kept up with dance, it has been a bit since I've done it outside of for exercise to keep in shape for the show.”

“Sure, of course,” Minako said. “If it helps at all, we're going to ask Victor if he'd like to dance as well. We've had tons of feedback from the segment where we showed him in pointe shoes. People want to see that side of him as well, so you wouldn't be the only one.” She then grinned a bit, a twinkle in her eye. “And we're thinking about getting Chris to do a pole routine too, just to spice things up.”

Yuri nodded, laughing softly at the thought of Chris performing one of his sexy pole routines for the entire world; the concept made him feel a bit better about the proposal at hand. “I'll think about it... it's just... after everything happened there, I went through a real rough patch. It's still kind of hard for me to really think about. I watched the video for the first time when it leaked and... well it wasn't as bad as it felt at the time, but not what I wanted it to be either. I just... don't know if I could work through it.”

“That's where I come in,” she smiled. “We'll work on it together, and we'll get your confidence back on it. The best way to shake off demons like these is to jump back in and do it that much better. If you want to, of course. But I would absolutely love to see you do this.”

Yuri smiled then. “Okay... I'll let you know soon. You're mentoring our recordings this coming week right?”

“Yes,” she said. “So you can let me know then. Sound good?”

Yuri nodded. “Sounds good,” he replied.

Yuri returned to the green room just as Seung Gil had come to bring Victor back to speak to Minako as well. As soon as the production manager was out of sight, the other contestants huddled around Yuri to ask what the deal was.

“So they want you to dance?” Mila said. “That's amazing! I think you should do it. Then all the haters can shut the fuck up about that old video.”

“Yes. Do it. Absolutely,” Chris said. “I hope they ask me to do something!”

“That's the thing,” Yuri said. “That's what they pulled Victor in to ask him about just now and Minako said they're thinking of asking you too. Everyone is getting a performance that will highlight any other talents they have outside of singing.”

“Oh _shit_ that will be cool,” JJ said.

“And different from what other shows have done with their finales,” Phichit said. “Not all of us can do something other than sing, but maybe we'll get to play instruments or something. That will be cool.”

Victor returned with Seung Gil then, with the production manager calling Chris in next. Victor sat down with a bemused smirk.

“Did they ask you to wear the angel costume?” Phichit teased, at which Victor laughed.

“No, she didn't, but Minako wanted me to do something in pointe shoes. I told her I couldn't do that part of it, but I told her I'd dance. Honestly, the pointe shoes are getting too difficult to do. When I did the video for the one segment I literally did that for about five minutes and I couldn't walk the next morning for the first couple of hours. I'd probably be hobbling around afterward during the finale and that's not a good look. I honestly don't know how Chris does it in those heels.”

Yuri cringed. “Yeah, I don't know how you do it either. At least Chris is standing on the correct part of his toes when he wears the boots.”

“True,” Victor said just as Chris returned and Seung Gil pulled Yura into a meeting next.

“So they're going to get me a pole for the finale,” Chris grinned. “I can't wait!”

“I love that we're all going to get to do something,” Phichit said. “It's kind of sad that the earliest contestants that got voted off are kind of already forgotten a bit.”

“Yeah, unfortunately that's already happening. Minami lost a ton of followers when he got voted off. It sucks how fickle people can be,” JJ said.

Just then, Seung Gil came back and called Phichit in. As they walked down the hallway toward the conference room, the production manager looked over at Phichit.

“How's it going?” he asked. “Sounds like it was a rough night.”

“Yeah, a few of us were stressing. I felt the worst for Yuri. That video was something he never wanted anyone to see. Victor was really good at calming him down though and after he watched it, he realized it really wasn't as bad as he thought. I like that he will get another chance though.”

Seung Gil nodded. “Yeah, I'm liking this direction they're taking and to be honest, seeing this stuff popping up has given the production team some ideas. It's going to be fun.” He opened the door to the conference room, where this time Takeshi sat at the table along with Minako.

“Hey Phichit,” Takeshi said. “So, you probably know that we're asking everyone about what they'd like to do for the finale. We were thinking we can go two directions with you. We can highlight your dance experience, which would have you working with Minako, or we can do something with your music. I saw some of your original compositions on YouTube and they're really great. Or, for a third route, we can have the band play one of your instrumentals and you can dance, like what we're looking at with Yuri and Victor,” Takeshi said.

“Hm... to be honest I like the third idea best,” Phichit said. “I've already shown that I can play instruments on the show, but the dancing is something different. I did have my own recital piece that I did, but I've written a couple other things since I'd like to try instead.”

“Well, think about what you'd like to use, and if you have a demo the band can start working on it,” Takeshi said.

“All right, sounds great!” Phichit said with a grin. “This is gonna be so cool!”

“I'm excited to work with you all,” Minako said. “After seeing your dance videos on YouTube I've been dying to do so. We'll let everyone know the schedule for rehearsals in the coming weeks. We'll fit things in with your song rehearsals.”

The remaining contestants were called in, with ideas thrown around for those who were specifically singers; the concept of duets came up and were discussed as well. Once everyone had a solid idea of what the contestants all wanted (including the eliminated ones who were contacted as well), Seung Gil compiled the ideas and sent them off with the production team.

By the time JJ returned from his meeting with Minako and Takeshi, Seung Gil had given them the notice that it was 30 minutes to showtime, and the contestants headed off for a last makeup and wardrobe touchup before going live.

The show began with the usual Morooka recap monologue and the introduction of the judges, with the contestants taking their places behind the screen to prepare for the group number.

“So let's go to the judges for a moment,” Morooka said. “Overall, what were your impressions of last night? Have our Superstars improved on their auditions?”

“I definitely think everyone's grown quite a bit,” Minako began. “Obviously the auditions are bare bones for a reason, because we want to get the best impression of their voice which should be the most important thing when we're starting off. But we definitely saw last night who is growing into a full-out performer in all senses of the word.”

“Absolutely,” Celestino agreed. “Last night was very informative on a few levels. I think it was pretty obvious who knocked it out of the park and who has a ways to go yet.”

“I do think that if the viewers saw what we did last night, the results will not be surprising this week,” Yakov said.

“All right then, there you have it,” Morooka said. “And now that we've heard from the judges, it's time to welcome back our Superstars. Since this week's theme was Superstar Rewind, we decided to give them a choice for their group number as well. They all came up with this idea, so we have another medley for you tonight. Performing pieces from their Group Round performances, here are our Superstars!”

The crowd erupted as the stage went dark, the band going into the driving intro of “Larger Than Life”, the Group Round song by Three Men and a Goddess that had featured Yuri, Phichit, Sara and Leo. Mila and Yura took over the roles of the latter two missing members with JJ added as a fifth as they reprized the choreography and vocal arrangements that Yuri and Phichit had come up with as they went through the song's first two verses and choruses. The other contestants provided extra backing vocals and danced along as well, with Chris and Victor deciding to improvise and striking voguing poses behind them, which had Yura laughing too much to perform very well.

Up next was Chris, Victor, Phichit, Yuri and Mila as Chris got a very well-deserved redo of “Spice Up Your Life”, the group song he'd worked so hard on that had fallen flat due to the lack of cooperation from his groupmates. Victor, Chris and Phichit had decided to be that much more extra, with Phichit especially enjoying busting out some Spice Girls moves with Victor keeping up with him admirably, but both failing to match up to Chris as he shook his tail feathers with gusto. Mila was having a hard time keeping it together as she danced along with Yuri, both laughing so much at the three guys neither could barely sing; the backing members of the group were having the same problem, with JJ in particular giving up trying to perform completely at one point for laughing so hard.

Finally, the seven contestants joined together with the three remaining members of Russian Roulette as they began a seven-member rendition of their group number, “So What”, complete with seven-part harmony on the chorus that Victor had helped them to work out. Mila, Yura and Victor reprized their solo bits and the rest of the contestants were worked in for their own solo lines. In light of the rough night they'd all had previously the singing of the chorus, especially the final one where each member had a solo improvised bit over the backing vocals, felt especially cathartic. The marching-in-time-and-fist-pumping choreo that Victor had come up with for the chorus extended out onto the catwalk as they paraded around the judges, the crowd jumping in time with the song and fistpumping in return. They ended back on the stage, with Mila and Yura ending the song as they had in the Group Round, with Mila's bratty “ba da da da da da” and Yura's raspberry into the mic. The crowd was given eight seconds of wild cheering before the show cut to the first commercial break, the group performance a bit longer as with less contestants to eliminate, there was more time to fill. As the red lights on the cameras signaled they were off the air the contestants all let out a whoop and group hugged, laughing as they headed over to the chairs.

“Oh my god you assholes made me fuck up so bad!” Yura laughed. “The fuck were you _doing?_ ”

Victor smiled innocently as he sat down, opening the bottle of water that was set down next to his seat as they were for all the contestants. “Oh you know, just living up to all the hype I've seen about me being extra. Give the people what they want.”

“I'm so glad you got to redo the Spice Girls song,” Mila said to Chris. “I hope you can listen to the song again now.”

“Yes, finally,” Chris said. “I'll have visions of Victor's ass dancing in my head forever now.” Everyone cracked up hard at that.

“This was my favorite group number so far,” Yuri said. “That was too much fun. For as stressful as the Group Round was, we really did have good songs. And like Mila said, I'm glad Chris got his do-over too. That song was a blast.”

Victor wrapped his arms around Yuri then, making him blush. “Yuuuuuriiiiiii will you have visions of my ass in your head toooooo?” he teased.

Yuri turned his face in to Victor's ear, trying to obscure it from the view of any potential cameras or audience members. “Maybe,” he murmured just as the 15 seconds to live call went up.

“And we are back,” Morooka said. “And what a fun performance that was, let's hear it again for our Superstars!” The crowd erupted into wild applause and cheers, with the judges adding in their applause as well.

“Well, unfortunately we now have to get down to business,” Morooka said. “Kieran, dim the lights, and let's get to the results. Chris, come on over my friend.” Chris rose, heading over to center stage; Phichit made note of the fact that usually Morooka stood off-center stage, the others agreeing that it was a bit unusual.

“Chris, you sang “Too Funky” by George Michael. Minako said she absolutely adored it. Celestino said you just keep getting better. And Yakov said you will be a star no matter how far you go on the show. Chris, please step over to my left.” Chris frowned, a bit confused, but did as told as Morooka called Yura over next.

“You performed “Believer” by Imagine Dragons. Celestino said you have evolved tremendously in a short period of time. Yakov said we can expect to see excellence in your career to come. And Minako is excited to see what's next for you. Yura, please step to my right.” It was Yura's turn to frown curiously as he did as told; Morooka called Mila next.

“Mila, you sang the Halestorm cover of “Bad Romance”. Minako said it you took it to another level. Celestino said your voice has improved so much. And Yakov said you will continue to grow and be great. Mila, please step to my right; JJ, you're up.”

JJ walked over to Morooka, already wringing his hands a bit. “You sang your original song “Theme of King JJ”. Celestino said you should have done something that suited your voice better. Minako said it didn't showcase your talent. And Yakov said the song was not very good. JJ... please step to my right; Phichit, come on over.”

The contestants were getting even more confused as Phichit walked over, an uncharacteristically concerned look on his face. “You performed “Hold Back the River” by James Bay. Yakov said your voice has improved a thousandfold. Celestino said you have an old school rock star quality. And Minako said you're blossoming into an amazing performer. Phichit, please join Chris on my left. Yuri, come on over.”

Victor gave Yuri a pat on the shoulder as he stood up to walk over to Morooka. “You sang “Soldier” by Gavin DeGraw. Celestino said you had the room in the palm of your hand. Minako said it was so great, she couldn't find the right words. And Yakov said you will be in the final two.” There was a smattering of cheers at that. “Yuri, please join Chris and Phichit to my left. Victor, step forward.”

Victor walked up, looking at the two sets of three contestants; a sinking feeling hit him as he began to get an idea of what might be happening. “Victor, you performed “Dream On” by Aerosmith. “Celestino said it was phenomenal and on another level. Minako called it transcendent. And Yakov said you are already a star.” Morooka stepped a pace back from Victor then.

“Victor, I would like you to join the group that you believe is the bottom three.”

If looks could kill, Victor would have stared Morooka dead. The crowd erupted into angry shouts and boos; over at the judges' table, Minako and Celestino were suitably annoyed and Yakov had crossed his arms with an angry glare. Asking Victor to pronounce the bottom three was akin to having him trash three of his fellow contestants in front of the world. After a few more moments of glaring angrily at Morooka, Victor walked over and stood between the two groups, crossing his arms defiantly, refusing to choose; the crowd erupted into approving cheers.

“All right then,” Morooka said, seeming a bit thrown by Victor's uncooperative stance. “Victor, please join Chris, Phichit and Yuri and head back to the chairs.” As they did so, he turned to the remaining three Superstars. “Yura, Mila and JJ are our bottom three for this week.” The crowd, however, was distracted by Victor, who despite not having a microphone, made his angry shout of “That was bullshit!” heard; they erupted in shouts and cheers of agreement.

“We now have our bottom three,” Morooka said. “We will find out who is going home in just a bit. When we come back, we'll have a performance from Imagine Dragons. Stay tuned. THIS... is Superstar Grand Prix!” Morooka walked in the opposite direction of the contestants' chairs, over to the judges' table, as the show went to break; Seung Gil came over and told the bottom three to sit back down for the playing of the recorded guest performance to come.

“What the fuck was that shit?” Yura snapped at Seung Gil. “Did you guys seriously try to make Victor look like an asshole there?”

Seung Gil leaned in; the contestants all did the same, huddling forward as the production manager covered the microphone attached to his headset with a hand. “I told Morooka Victor wouldn't take the bait. I was right. You did the right thing. I didn't agree with this play for drama either.”

Mila was watching what appeared to be a slight altercation at the judges' table. “Yakov is _not_ happy,” she said; everyone looked over and saw him having words with the two associate producers who gave input into the scripting of the show and Morooka; Celestino and Minako were wearing extremely angry faces.

“You'll only look better in the eyes of the viewers for what you did,” Seung Gil added, patting Victor's shoulder. “Personally, I loved it.” He paused, then stood upright out of the huddle. “One minute countdown, gotta go guys.” He then hurried off, calling over to the judges' table to inform them of the time.

The show returned with Morooka standing at the judges' table; all three judges were still wearing very annoyed faces as he introduced the recorded Imagine Dragons performance as if it were live. While the performance was being screened the judges' table cleared and seat fillers replaced them, as the audience was being directed to react as if the performance was live while the cameras mixed in live shots that were cut into the shots of the audience in the taped performance for the viewers at home. Victor looked over to see even Lilia and Emil discussing what had happened in their front row seats, and mused to himself that Twitter would be extremely interesting again tonight.

As the show went to the next commercial break, Yura leaned down from his top row seat. “You think they did that because you didn't let them make a big deal about those pictures?” Yura asked.

Victor wrinkled his nose at that. “I... I'd like to think that's not the case. It seemed like they read our names tonight in the order we performed, and I just ended up last. Regardless of why they did it it was absolute bullshit. Trying to cause more dissension and drama between us is a load of shit.”

“Wasn't there a 'rumor' that you and JJ had a fight? Which was only marginally true,” Phichit said. “You had words in dress rehearsal last week.”

“Yeah,” JJ said. “It wasn't really a fight though. He didn't say anything that wasn't true or that I didn't need to hear.”

“Yeah, but that was going around and it makes me wonder if they wanted to cause more trouble by Victor by default saying you were in the bottom,” Phichit said. “Then there would be more “Victor hates JJ” headlines.”

“Man, this is some shady ass shit,” Yura said. “Somebody got a taste of the drama from this week and ran with it.”

As the 30 seconds to time was called the top three were told to return to center stage for the announcement of the results. Morooka returned to stand with them, having come from backstage; the judges were taking their seats as well. The contestants all noted that the four main faces of the show all looked as if there had been more of an altercation of some sort, with Morooka still somewhat uncharacteristically flustered as the cameras went live.

“And we are back with our bottom three,” he began. “Let's get to the results. The first person safe tonight... is... Yura. Head back over to the chairs buddy.” Yura turned to Mila and hugged her, then offered a fist for JJ to bump before he walked back to the chairs.

Morooka then turned to the audience. “Audience, who do you think is going home tonight?” The contestants all grew that much more annoyed then as the audience erupted in shouts, with Victor feeling for JJ as the cacophony of voices eventually skewed more toward JJ's name as Morooka turned back to the bottom two.

“The Superstar we are saying goodbye to tonight... is...” He paused dramatically for another long two or three seconds. “Jean-Jacques. Mila, you are safe dear, head on back to the chairs.”

Mila turned to JJ and hugged him tightly. “You'll be okay,” she said.

“Yeah,” JJ said. “You know what, I think I will. It's past time.” He gave her shoulder one last friendly pat as she stepped back then headed over to the chairs.

“You've had a great run JJ,” Morooka said. “Let's have a look at the screens.” The video montage followed JJ's journey from audition to his final performance from the night before, beginning and ending with “Theme of King JJ” and giving the presentation a full-circle moment. Seung Gil then came over, giving JJ a handshake as he handed him a microphone to sing his farewell song. He'd decided to keep with the theme of the week, going with Michael Buble's “It's a Beautiful Day” rather than repeat his original song a third time. As he finished, the audience was a mix of cheers for his performance, then boos as Morooka once again pronounced him as the contestant going home. The other Superstars came over from the chairs to envelop him in their usual group hug as Morooka turned to the cameras.

“And that's it for this week folks. Next time our Superstars will take on songs from the movies. It should be an exciting week so be sure to join us. Until then, on behalf of our contestants and judges, have a great night everyone. Morooka... out!”

  


  


**Superstar Grand Prix Facebook Page – Rewind Week Results Show Post**

_50 minutes ago – Los Angeles, CA_

Tonight we said goodbye to Jean-Jacques Leroy, our lone Canadian contestant. JJ has given us some very memorable performances during his run on the show, and we'll certainly miss him! Best of luck on your future endeavors!

(Video of JJ performing his farewell song)

_400.3k reactions �• 700.7k comments • 450.3k shares_

**Jessica Dicenzo** THIS IS SUCH BULLSHIT YOU KNOW THE JUDGES WANTED HIM GONE THEY LET HIM DO THAT SONG SO HE'D GET VOTED OFF

 **Krista McDaniels** omg noooo JJ whyyyyy why were you so dumb and did that awful song

 **Patrick Hannigan** Victor was being a boss as usual not letting Morooka make him look bad he's such a fucking badass

 **Carissa Jenkins** I was in the audience and if Yuri and Victor aren't fucking idk what to tell you because Victor was ALLLLLL over Yuri during one of the commercial breaks

 **Helen Martin** My dearest Jean-Jacques was ROBBED. He is absolutely wonderful. His masterful voice just makes my heart flutter. His bright smile lights up the room. He very much deserved to win. I will stop watching this show now as there is no one left that is as talented as this bright rising star. You will all see when he is on the top of the charts around the world and the others have faded into obscurity. We love you JJ, keep doing it JJ Style!!

 **Maura Lawson @Helen Martin** ew go away grandma I stg JJ's stans are so creepy why are you all 100 years old. Besides he sucked ASS every week, his ego is through the roof and he doesn't even sing that great so I'm glad he's gone.

 **Akiko Nakaumura** I really loved the group songs this week it was so much fun to see them redo them! Yuri-san was so cute, I love him so much! I will keep voting for him and I hope he wins!

 **Monique Lefebre** JJ is too good for this show anyway. He will do so much better than everyone else! He is the REAL Superstar! I can't stand Victor's screaming and Yuri and Phichit do the same boring crap every week. Mila is always slutty and Chris is just gross. And Yura is a spoiled brat that needs to wash his hair once in a while. NONE of them are better than JJ THE KING OF EVERYTHING.

Seung Gil was perusing the Facebook page for the show and was regretting it heavily. He'd thought Twitter was vicious, but as it turned out Facebook was even more so. It also seemed that most of the show's older fans were dominant on the platform, and he'd found a rather vehement following for JJ in the 40 and up age bracket that had their very strong opinions about his elimination from the show.

“Man, Facebook is kind of... creepy,” he said as Morooka sat down with his coffee. “I think we've found out where the kool-aid drinkers go.”

“We get the most voting activity from Facebook though, so I suppose that shows us where our biggest demographic is,” Morooka said.

“It tells us that it's more accessible, but if the comments I'm seeing and the age bracket they're skewing is as glaring as it looks, it's kind of... strange,” Seung Gil said. “But it seems there's a subset of every predominant age bracket that loves to start drama and troll each other.”

“At least it's generating buzz,” Morooka said. “That's what we want.”

“But I guess we need to stay away from the scripting team's version of controversy,” Seung Gil snorted. “That guessing game they threw out there for the results backfired big time.”

“It might have worked if it were anyone other than Victor,” Morooka said. “I could see Yura taking the bait.”

Seung Gil shook his head. “Nope. They were all furious. None of them agreed with it. I don't think it's a good idea to piss off the contestants again, because they have no interest in slamming each other even if they weren't getting along with JJ for a while there. It seems like things on that end got resolved just as he ended up getting voted off, so at least they're parting on good terms. We don't need them ripping each other apart on the tour.”

Morooka sighed at that. “I guess they've all become closer friends than we expected. It is a competition after all, so I thought there would be some of that competitive edge.”

“I think they all had enough drama off-camera this week,” Seung Gil said. “But the scripting department was pretty pissed off when I told them Victor didn't want the photos made a big deal of. They really wanted to get into that.”

“Those were private photos. First of all we'd have had to track down the photographers to get their permission because apparently the person who took them was hired by the Burning Man organization to document the event. Then we'd have had to pay for the rights to use them. So I don't know what they were thinking there.”

“It's the 'everything on the Internet is fair game' mentality. But besides, the photos are everywhere and it's more than likely that all the viewers who care have seen them. Victor preferred only to not make them an issue on the show itself, but he didn't apologize for their existence.”

“He shouldn't have to. But it's got people talking regardless, and we saw an uptick in viewership this week on the results show. So even if the controversy is off-camera, it's working.”

“You're not suggesting we dig up dirt now are you?” Seung Gil said, his expression darkening.

“No... I'm just saying if the dirt finds itself dug up like it was this week, we won't sweep it under the rug, is all.”

Seung Gil closed his laptop and rose with a heavy sigh. “You need to not let this all go to your head, Morooka. These contestants are human and we don't need them burning out before they even get off the show. So I really hope there won't be any more attempts at causing drama between them. There's more gold in the chemistry they all have with each other than in stirring shit.”

Morooka blinked then. “Are you suggesting I had something to do with the way the results were done tonight? Or anything else that happened this week?”

“I just know you're the executive producer, and you have the script and fact checking departments under your dictation. Don't abuse that.”

And Morooka watched, blinking in surprise as Seung Gil stalked out of the room, grabbing his coat. “I'm going home. Goodnight, Morooka.”

  


  


**One Week Later: Live Shows, Week 7 – Songs from the Movies**

“Yuri, stop second-guessing. Takeshi told you he thought it was a great idea for you to do this song after everyone was disappointed about you not doing 'If I Was Your Man' last week. This song is perfect for you, you're going to kick ass on it.”

The contestants had just finished the dress rehearsal and sound check for the performance show and had returned to the green room to relax before airtime began. Even though there was no way to change it now, Yuri was still having reservations about his song choice despite the fact that it had been met with approval by both Minako and Takeshi when he'd decided on it. As a result he was fighting back a bit of a rush of anxiety, and Victor was sitting with him at one of the tables in the green room, arm around his shoulder as he attempted to help him calm down.

“I just don't want people saying I'm repeating myself,” Yuri said. “I saw some comments saying that I do the same thing all the time, and here I am doing another Bruno song after I specifically avoided doing that last week. What if it's the wrong choice even though our mentors think it's a good idea? They both think it's fine because I can sing it well and I can, I know I can. But it seems like a lot of the viewers only see the surface of it. My fans are happy about it after the song spoilers leaked but others are already bashing me...”

“Number one, _stop reading shit online,”_ Victor said. “Those people don't understand the mechanics of picking our songs. Sure we have our shortlist, but we've been guided as well and when have Takeshi and Minako steered any of us wrong before? You're going to be fine and this song will be fine. It's a hard song to sing, working in your midrange is tough. It's also something you need to have your throat completely open for and if you're nervous you're going to tense up and it will be harder to sing. So tell you what, let's go into the practice room and warm up and run through our songs. Let's keep occupied until showtime so you stop overthinking this.”

Yuri sighed hard, burying his face in his hands. Phichit came over and wrapped his arms around him, squeezing him tightly. “Yurrrrriiii, it's going to be okay. You sounded amazing in dress rehearsal. There's no way everyone's not going to love this. The fans kept asking for you to do another Bruno song so I highly doubt you're going anywhere especially after you nail it.”

Yuri sighed hard then. “Okay, okay.” He stood up and Victor immediately grabbed his arm and began tugging him toward the rehearsal room.

“Come on, let's go,” Victor said. “We'll go in here and stay where it's quiet till it's time to go on. I want to run through my song again anyway.” With that, they headed into the practice room, closing the door behind them.

“Don't do anything I... nevermind,” Chris called after them as he sat.

“Please,” Phichit laughed. “It's not like there's anything you wouldn't do.”

“Exactly,” Chris said. “That's why I didn't offer advice. It would be disingenuous.”

Mila laughed as she came over with Yura to sit at the table. “But really though, I don't know why Yuri's so worried.”

“I can kind of see it,” Yura said. “The judges keep pounding into your head not to repeat yourself, to branch out and do different things. Last week he could have gotten away with doing the Bruno song because the whole theme was repeating. But outside of that theme it feels like he's coasting on it so yeah. But I agree with Victor, it's a hard fucking song to sing and he nails it. Anyone who is watching this for the actual singing will get that.”

“He was also freaked out about singing first this week,” Phichit said. “But like Victor said, keeping your throat warmed up for something like this is important so it's actually better if he gets it out of the way.”

“It's just odd, he's been fine for quite a while and now suddenly he's worried,” Chris said with a concerned frown.

“That's Yuri though,” Phichit said. “He'll be confident for a long time and then one thing will set him off. But to be honest he's gotten a lot better since we've been here. It was a lot worse in college for him. He's grown a lot stronger through this whole experience so I just think this is a momentary setback. He'll be fine.”

Inside the practice room, Victor had just finished running through his song on his acoustic guitar, with Yuri listening and playing along on the keyboard to flesh it out more. As they finished, Victor sipped on his tea then looked over at the other man.

“So what's really going on?” Victor asked him suddenly.

“Huh?” Yuri responded with a confused frown.

“It feels like something more than just the song is bothering you. Are you okay?” Victor asked.

“I...” Yuri sighed then. “I mean... look at who all is left, Victor. Takeshi said at dress rehearsal today that any one of us that's left could win. We're going to start being eliminated now because someone has to go, not just because of our performances. I didn't think when I started this whole thing that I'd get this far. I'd go into every elimination thinking this would be the week I'd go home. And now... half of us are gone, and I look at everyone who's left, and I wonder if I can keep up. Yakov said he believes I'll be top two, but... really? With you? Mila, Chris? Phichit who I've always felt was more amazing that I'd ever be, and Yura who's grown so much? I can't afford a mistake now... because now, after coming so far, I don't want to go home yet. I don't want to go home at all. I didn't care about winning at first because it was easier to think I wouldn't; that helped me make it from one week to the next. But now... now that I could even maybe make it to top two, which I'd even be happy with? I don't want to mess up and lose it all...”

“I don't believe you will, Yuri,” Victor said gently. “This song might be by an artist you've done before, but it's quite different from the song you did for your audition, and it was the first one out of your mouth when we started brainstorming song choices. Clearly it's one you know you can do well and were confident about from the beginning, before you started thinking too much about it. I really don't think this will be a problem. You're a lot more loved than you seem to realize. I see more people talking online about you and how talented you are than anyone else. You have an appeal that reaches a lot of different people. Even if you do go home before the final? You'll be fine. You're going to have an amazing career. Don't let this experience be the end of it all, because it's not. It's a springboard to even better things. And it's not a failure to go home before then. You made it this far out of half a million people, remember? That in and of itself is amazing. You've made it farther than a lot of people ever will. Don't forget that.”

Yuri had been listening, staring down at the keyboard and taking in every word that Victor said. When he was finished Yuri drew in a deep breath, exhaling sharply. “Yeah... you're right, I know you are... you've said these things before to me. I guess with everything that's been going on I sort of lost sight of it all.”

“It's easy enough to do,” Victor said. “But the best way to keep going is to just take every week as it comes. Ride it for as long as you can and wherever your stop ends up being, grab the next Uber and keep going from there.”

Yuri laughed softly then. “Sounds like a good enough plan, as long as my Uber driver isn't a creeper,” he said.

“Oh yeah that's right,” Victor laughed. “I forgot about the horror stories. Grab a Metro then.” He then gestured to the keyboard for Yuri to begin playing his own song to run through.

“The Metro works, but I prefer the Bullet train. It's faster,” he replied.

“So impatient, Yuri,” Victor teased.

“Always have been, but I'm getting better,” he replied. “Okay, let's do this, we've got about a half hour left.”

  


  


_Going to cold open in 5... 4... 3... 2...1!_

**Morooka, at center stage, single spotlight:** It's often said that some of our most iconic moments are immortalized by music, and there's no better example of that than the movies. Very often, there's one song that not only evokes an iconic film, but the time in the life of the viewer as well. From older classics to the newest songs, those attached to movies have become some of the cornerstones of generations. This week, our Superstars take on some of those landmark tunes as they tackle Songs From the Movies. Get ready for a great show everyone! THIS... is Superstar Grand Prix! _Go to opening montage, then judges' entrance._

The contestants made their way out after the opening of the show with an introduction from Morooka, this time taking to the catwalk to acknowledge some of the fans in the back of the standing room only pit area that normally didn't get a chance to have a moment close to their favorite Superstar. The reception seemed to be even more enthusiastic this time, the crowd that much more deafening as the six remaining contestants took their seats with Victor, Yuri and Phichit in the top row of chairs and Chris, Yura and Mila in the bottom row. The show went to a brief commercial break – there was room for one or two shorter ones now that they were down to half the number of contestants they'd started with – then returned to a shot of Morooka at center stage to begin the night.

“Our first performance of the evening is from one of the last people we saw in our audition rounds back in the fall. Yuri, come on over buddy.”

Yuri had also been extra nervous about this change in the usual procedure of the show: instead of video segments this week, Morooka had elected to do short live interviews with each contestant and if there was one thing Yuri absolutely hated, it was speaking in public. Singing was another thing entirely, but as he took the microphone offered by Seung Gil and rose to walk over he felt his stomach clench a bit, hoping that Morooka wouldn't go off script.

“How are you feeling tonight Yuri?” Morooka began. “You had a really great performance last week.”

“Yeah... it was fun to do the song again with everything I've learned so far,” Yuri answered.

“So for Songs From the Movies this week, you've chosen Bruno Mars' “It Will Rain” from the _Twilight_ series. Were you a fan of the movies at all?

Yuri had to laugh at that. “No, they were kind of not in my radar,” he replied. “I only knew the song from hearing it on the radio. Last week when I didn't do “If I Was Your Man” again, a lot of my fans were disappointed. So when I saw this song on the list for this week, I decided to sort of compromise since they wanted to hear me do Bruno again.”

“Sounds like a man who knows how to please his audience,” Morooka said. “All right then, good luck my friend. Let's hear it for Yuri!”

The crowd erupted into applause as Yuri walked to center stage in front of the band, with Takeshi accompanying him on the keyboard to begin the song with just that and his voice before the drums came in on the second verse. Yuri felt himself concentrating on maintaining the upper mid-to-high range of the melody as he went into the chorus, reminding himself what Victor had pointed out to him about being _too_ perfect as he began to improvise some notes as the piece continued. The songs were not as edited as they had been with more time to fill, so as it progressed his voice loosened more and he began to feel much more confident about his delivery. He moved about the stage, going to the edge as he went into the change and final chorus, the music going back down to just keyboard accompaniment, his voice carrying over the studio in clear tones until the song came to its quiet end. The crowd applauded and cheered wildly as he stepped up to the mark at center stage, smiling and waving as he felt the flush coming over his face that happened once he'd finished something he was nervous about.

“I really liked this song for you when you decided to do it, and the recording was fantastic,” Minako began. “I did feel like you were a bit tight in the first couple of lines, but you loosened up after that and it sounded amazing. Your range is very similar to Bruno's and the style of his singing fits you well. Really solid performance.”

“Singing an entire song in the mid to high range like that doing a belting technique is _hard_ ,” Celestino said. “Especially when the song is so bare bones that the vocal pretty much drives the entire thing. Bruno's pristine vocal in this song is why it was so engaging and you captured that very well. Excellent job on a tough vocal.”

“You are wise to listen to what the fans say, and you have always taken the advice of your mentors to heart,” Yakov said. “We know you have the qualities of a showman, we have seen it in previous performances. This song showcased why we chose you in your audition, and also showed how much you have improved. A very good choice and an excellent performance.”

Morooka came over then, shaking Yuri's hand. “Great, great performance, I'm sure Bruno will approve again!” he said, which made Yuri laugh shyly. Morooka then recited Yuri's voting information before sending him back to the chairs.

“Our next performer has given us some pretty flashy performances, and has never been shy about his sexy side. Chris, you're up my friend.” Yuri gave the microphone to Chris as he returned to the chairs, and in turn Chris headed to center stage.

“So for this week, you've chosen “Earned It” by The Weeknd, from the _Fifty Shades of Grey_ series of movies. Why did you go with this particular song?” Morooka asked.

“Well, it's something I've utilized in my night job,” Chris began, evoking some laughter from the audience. “But also, it's a song that maybe some people wouldn't expect me to try. I don't use my higher range a lot and I like challenges, so this ended up being what I settled on.”

“All right then, sounds good,” Morooka said as he gestured for Chris to head to his place by the band. “Let's give it up for Christophe!”

As the song began Chris affected a sexy pose, caressing the microphone in its stand as he began to sing in his midrange, effortlessly moving up into his falsetto and back down while following the melody line flawlessly. As the second verse began he took the microphone from its stand and began slowly strutting across the stage, making eye contact with various members of the audience invoking equal responses throughout; he'd also opted to mix up the pronouns in the song to follow suit. He planted himself firmly at center stage for the change of the song, then indulged in a few more improvisations and runs for the final chorus, with the last musical interlude at the end of the song edited out for time. The final notes of both Chris' vocal and the song faded out as the stage went nearly black, with just a spotlight illuminating Chris from behind, giving the audience a silhouette before that too faded out. As the crowd erupted the main stage lights came back up and he took a few bows with a flourish before heading to the mark at the front and center stage.

Minako was pretending to dab at her brow then fanned herself as the cameras focused on her, causing the audience and the contestants to laugh. “This was seriously sexy,” she began. “I really liked that both you and Yuri chose songs that were bare bones and just let us hear the incredible tone you have. You sang a song that was in a similar vein for your audition and I remember noticing that control you had especially on your falsetto and it's gotten so much better. And you have attitude for days to back it up. Loved it, loved it, loved it.”

“You have a presence that fills up this room and I'm pretty sure you could do the same in an arena,” Celestino continued. “Your vocal control is ridiculous and I really think that's a product of how you utilize it in your other profession as well. You are a singer that doesn't need flashy arrangements to pull off something that mesmerizes your audience. Fantastic job.”

“This was a perfect example of the incredible amount of charisma you have,” Yakov concluded. “This song on its own is fine, but it is your presence and vocal delivery that took it to another level. You have amazing stage presence and the talent to back up your confidence. Excellent as always.”

Morooka came over then, also pretending to wipe his brow. “I think there might be a hole melted in the stage,” he quipped, bringing Chris to laughter as Morooka moved on to give the voting information, then thanked Chris for his performance and sent him on his way.

“When we come back, Mila takes on a song by an iconic vocalist, and Victor takes on a megahit that's become a modern movie classic. Stay tuned. THIS... is Superstar Grand Prix!”

As Chris returned he handed the microphone to Mila, who was told to wait until after the commercial break to make her way to center stage. As he sat down, Phichit reached over and pretended to fan him off with a waving hand.

“I think you're still steaming,” Phichit joked; Yuri cracked up and Victor broke into laughter with a clap of his hands for emphasis. “But damn Chris that was awesome, that's not an easy song to sing.”

“I feel like you and Yuri went head to head there,” Yura said. “You both had songs with similar types of vocals and I honestly couldn't pick either of you. Just listening to that made my throat hurt.”

“Lilia made sure we both promised to warm up very thoroughly,” Chris said. “But yeah, it was pretty tough to do the blocking and keep that range up. I tried not to walk too fast so I could get my catch breaths in the right places.”

“Yeah, same here,” Yuri said. “But at least I didn't really need falsetto like you did. That's harder.” The call for 30 seconds to live went up then, and everyone settled in for the next performance. Mila stood up as Morooka took his place, waiting for her cue.

“And we are back,” he began. “Our next performer is no stranger to tackling songs that were sung by big voices. Mila, come on over.” She headed across to center stage, the audience cheering as they had for the other contestants thus far.

“So this is a song by Adele, which anyone would consider intimidating,” Morooka began. “What made you choose her theme for the James Bond movie _Skyfall?”_

“I really liked how the vocal is so understated, but there's a challenge to putting out the mood of it,” she began. “There's always a sexy feeling to the Bond theme songs when they're sung by women and I haven't done anything like this before really. So I figured I'd give it a shot.”

“All right then,” Morooka replied. “Performing “Skyfall” from the film of the same name, here is Mila!”

Mila had opted to dress like a screen siren, with a glittery royal blue floor length strapless evening gown with a train, black stiletto heels, elbow length black satin gloves and 1950s-inspired hairdo, looking every bit the part as she began the smoky first verse of the song. She leaned on the baby grand piano as Takeshi played, her tone with a slight rasp as it carried over the studio. She moved slowly to center stage for the first chorus, her vocal then becoming a bit more intricate with some improvisations for the second verse and chorus, moving from her mid range to her falsetto with little difficulty. The instrumental interludes were edited out for time so she went right into the change and final chorus, improvising until the final long note that she held out, then made into a bit of a run as the orchestra behind her faded out the last note. As she took her bows she felt a bit of uncertainty creep in as the audience response seemed rather subdued.

“I liked this song when you recorded it,” Minako began. “But seeing you on stage here with the whole presentation... as good as your vocal was, I'm just not sure this was the right song for you. We've seen you do some amazing things with your voice and this... I'm not really sure it worked for a live setting. You look absolutely stunning though, I want that dress,” she added, bringing a bit of laughter from the audience and a smile from Mila.

“Yeah, I don't know about this song choice for you,” Celestino continued. “This is in my opinion one of Adele's most underwhelming songs. I never saw the appeal of it and I really think you could have done a lot better if you'd chosen something more upbeat. I totally get you wanting to change it up, but I have to wonder if this was _too_ much of a deviation from what we know from you. You sounded great though, you have amazing control regardless of the song quality.”

“I commend you for attempting to step out of your comfort zone,” Yakov said. “Your vocal was quite good, but we are most certainly used to more from you than this. I do have to agree that this song may not have been the best choice, but you performed it well regardless.”

Mila drew in a breath, sighing heavily as Morooka came over. “And how do you feel about your performance tonight?” he asked her.

“I... I feel like I did a good job,” Mila said, trying to hide the emotion in her voice. “I wanted to challenge myself to do something where my voice would be the most important thing and I did that.”

“All right then, there you have it folks,” Morooka said. He went on to give her voting information, then sent her on her way with a final squeeze of her hand.

“Our next performer has chosen a song that was quite the surprise hit for the American band the Goo Goo Dolls. Victor, come on over and tell us about that,” Morooka called, and Mila handed off the microphone to him as he headed to center stage.

“You've chosen “Iris”, from the movie _City of Angels_. How did you come about that?” Morooka asked.

“It's a song I've related to very strongly in a few ways over the years,” Victor said. “It's one of those songs that changes meaning to you the more you live life. And I've always loved how epic it is to sing.”

“All right then, I'm looking forward to hearing this one myself. Head on back then,” he said, giving Victor his cue to head over to the band, where a tech handed him his acoustic guitar. “Everyone let's give it up for Victor!”

Victor began to play the guitar along with accompaniment from Takeshi on a second acoustic and the other guitarist from the band on a mandolin, the three of them sitting center stage as the band and the orchestra slowly added in by degrees. He sang in his lower range first, eyes closing as he put the emotions he was feeling into his delivery. There was an audible gasp, then cheers in the audience as his voice soared into the first chorus effortlessly, the emotions in it building. He leveled back down for the second verse then rose to his feet for the second chorus, having opted to wear a headset microphone to move around the stage as he played the guitar. A bit of the musical interlude was cut so the song went to the staccato buildup, with Victor hitting the quadruple-strokes on the acoustic, then playing through an abbreviated musical interlude that came to a quiet pause before the full orchestra and band powered back in. Victor's voice soared over the orchestra as his face flushed, his voice going a bit gravelly as he pushed it higher into the “I just want you to know who I am” refrain, letting the last repetition of it fade out as he softly strummed the guitar. The lead guitarist played a few meandering notes on the mandolin over Victor's slowly fading chords as the song came to an end. The tech came back out and took the guitar from Victor and he walked over to center stage, nodding and mouthing “thank you” to the crowd as they continued to applaud and cheer until the “Quiet Please” screens were put up.

“Maaaaan Victor, that was amazing,” Celestino began. “This song has always been perfection from start to finish, but I've never really heard a good cover of it until now. You have the depth of range to handle it well and you injected the right amount of emotion into it too. And I always love seeing you playing an instrument as well, I feel like people forget you can do so many things. Really fantastic job.”

“This song has such a haunting quality to it and you captured that very well,” Minako said. “We talked a bit about the more personal reasons you chose this song during the recording session and I think that definitely informed your delivery of it. I loved your recording but hearing it live gave me chills. We saw Rock Star Victor last week, but this shows you can do it all very very well.”

“You will be the other half of the top two, I am certain of it,” Yakov said. “With your range and versatility, there is no other place you will be. Excellent as always.”

Victor turned away from the judges under the guise of responding to the audience to grimace a bit in discomfort over that pronunciation; he really didn't approve of Yakov calling who he felt were the winners with half the competition left to go. He caught Yuri out of the corner of his eye doing the same, as Yakov had already named Yuri as the other half of the top two the week before.

“Really great performance, this is one of my favorite songs so I definitely approve,” Morooka said as he shook Victor's hand, then gave his voting information before sending him back to the chairs. “After the break, Yura performs a Jon Bon Jovi signature song, and Phichit performs what has become a classic showstopper, so stay tuned.”

Victor sat down in his seat, taking a long drink of water as Yuri wrapped an arm around his shoulders, patting one. “That sounded amazing,” Yuri said. “I got chills for the first chorus.”

“Yeah me too,” Mila added. “Something about those first two notes when you went up higher was like...” She drew in a gasp to emphasize her reaction.

“Yeah the audience did that too,” Yura said. “There was a definite mood to that performance, it was really great.”

“Well...” Victor flushed then, smiling a bit. “Remember back when they had the Top 12 party, and I talked to John Rzeznik? He said to me then that if the opportunity came up, he'd love to hear my take on “Iris”. I didn't tell anyone this until now, because I didn't want to come off as name dropping... but yeah. It was sort of a request, I suppose.”

Yuri's eyes went wide then. “Are you _serious?_ How the hell did you keep this a secret all this time??”

“I don't know, because I really wanted to tell everyone,” he said with a soft laugh. “If I didn't get to do it for the competition, I was going to ask to do it in the finale results show. So I'm glad I got to do it since he asked.”

“Oh man, that means he'll probably tweet about it,” Yura said.

“He honestly doesn't use Twitter that much, but he may,” Victor said. “We'll see what happens, I suppose.”

“And we are back,” Morooka began as the show returned from break. “Next up is Yura, with a song that marked the solo debut of Jon Bon Jovi. Come on over buddy,” he said, and Yura came over to center stage.

“Now this song came out quite a long time ago,” Morooka said. “What made you choose it?”

“My mom always listened to a lot of music from the 80s,” Yura said. “This was one of the songs I remember her playing a lot, and I always liked how it sounded. I like the vocal and when I started really getting into singing it was one of the songs I learned first. So when I saw it on the list I had to do it.”

“Sounds good,” Morooka said. “Head on back to the band there.” He then turned to the cameras as Yura went to take his place. “Performing 'Blaze of Glory' from _Young Guns_ , give it up for Yura!”

Yura stood hanging onto the microphone as the band went into a shortened version of the intro, with the lead guitarist recreating the slide guitar. The band quieted down to just a soft keyboard as Yura began to sing, his voice carrying over the room during the first verse. He pulled the microphone out of the stand and walked to front and center during the musical interlude, then proceeded to belt out the second verse perfectly before powering into the chorus, with Takeshi singing the harmony part on the melody line. Yura sang the third verse with even more emotion, gesturing and pointing at the audience before the edited version of the song went into the final chorus, which he belted out to the point where his voice cracked a bit with emotion as he lost a bit of control which he quickly caught and reigned in. He opened out his voice for the final soaring “call me a young gun” refrain, which was only repeated twice as the song was edited for time. The hand holding the mic dropped to his side, his head bowing as he worked on catching his breath a bit while the stage lights faded to black as the band came to the song's end.

“Yuraaaaa!” Celestino cried over the cheers and screams of the crowd, having to wait until the “Quiet Please” screens went up. “That song is one of the iconic ones from the 80s that a lot of people know and I'm really glad you took a chance on it. You handled that very well and your belting range especially has gotten _so_ powerful. I think the extra vocal training has done you a world of good because you can really fill up the room with your voice now. Really great performance.”

“I was really surprised when you wanted to do this song because a lot of young kids don't even know it,” Minako said. “This was when Jon Bon Jovi was at his peak vocally too so it's a really tough song to pull off well but you did just that and did it very well. Your overall stage presence has improved so much and you just get better with every performance.”

“You are taking more and more risks, and every time it is paying off,” Yakov said. “Most young people cannot relate to songs from a few years ago, let alone a decade or more before they were born. But there is an old soul quality about you that is beginning to show itself and for this song, it served you very well.”

Yura nodded his thanks to the judges and crowd as they applauded and cheered; Morooka offered a congratulatory handshake before reading off his voting information and sending him back to the chairs, where he handed off the microphone to Phichit.

“Our final performer of the night has chosen a song that I think very few people would expect,” Morooka said. “Phichit, come on over and tell us about it.” He walked over to Morooka in response, smiling and waving at the cheering crowd.

“So you have chosen a song that's pretty iconic,” Morooka began. “How did you decide to tackle Celine Dion?” There was murmur through the crowd as people began to realize what song was being referred to.

“I actually did this for a talent show we had during college,” Phichit said. “My range has always been a really high tenor, so I tried it out in vocal class and it worked very well. I've learned a lot since then so I wanted to give it one more shot.”

“All I'll say here is you're pretty brave,” Morooka laughed. “Head on over to the band there.” Phichit took his leave then as Morooka turned to the cameras. “Performing 'My Heart Will Go On' from _Titanic,_ here is Phichit!” The crowd erupted into applause and cheers as the stage lighting shifted with the band's intro to the song.

Phichit began in the same soft tone, his effortless midrange wafting smoothly over the crowd, which was hushed as they realized he just might be able to pull it off. He stayed soft, in almost a falsetto for the first verse and chorus, eyes closing as he concentrated on breath and note control. He opened up a bit more in the second verse, moving into his low belting range, the notes in the second chorus filling in with more richness; the audience became more rapt as they were drawn in more as the song continued to build. The instrumental interlude was abbreviated for time as Phichit stood at center stage, drawing in a huge breath for the modulation in the final chorus and letting go with ridiculously high, soaring belted notes, easily matching the melody of the original flawlessly and causing the audience to erupt into cheers and screams.

In his seat Yuri broke into chills, grinning proudly for his friend. Victor looked over to the judges and was far too amused at Celestino's mouth hanging open and the massive grin on Minako's face; even Yakov wore an uncharacteristic expression of surprise. Phichit finished the song with the soft vocalizations; he had barely finished and the band come to rest before the audience broke into absolute mayhem, the cheering deafening as he grinned and took a bow before walking to the mark at stage center front. Even the “Quiet Please” screens didn't help at first, causing Celestino to begin speaking into the microphone to get the audience to calm down.

“Okay well... I can honestly say I did _not_ expect that,” Celestino said. “I have never heard a guy sing that song that pulled it off, especially not in the original key. That was phenomenal, I don't really have any other words to describe it. Fantastic job.”

“I knew this would be a showstopper when you absolutely nailed this in the studio,” Minako said. “Honestly, if anyone remembers Broadway Week, when you did “Defying Gravity”, this should be absolutely no surprise.” She turned to Celestino then, whose face changed as he remembered that performance into an “oh yeah” expression. “This was a walk in the park compared to that performance. But you did this with all the sensitivity of the original, but you still made it your own with some slight variations to the melody. Complete perfection.”

“There is no risk you are not game to take and it is very admirable,” Yakov said. “A good song is a good song, and if you have the capability to sing it, you should. You did this more than enough justice and it may even have been a bit more full and rich than the original. A most excellent way to end the night.”

Morooka walked over then, shaking his head with a smirk of his own. “Leave it to you to give us the biggest surprise of the night!” he laughed, shaking Phichit's hand and commending him on his performance, then giving his voting information. Seung Gil directed the rest of the contestants to join them at center stage as the recap montage was played, and then they all stood in a line behind Morooka as he filled a bit more time by addressing the judges.

“So this has been quite an interesting evening,” Morooka said. “Judges, what performances stood out to you the most?”

“I really liked Victor and Yura tonight, and Phichit of course,” Celestino said. “Those were the standouts for me.”

Minako seemed reluctant at first to offer her opinion. “For the best vocal control, I'm going to say Yuri and Chris. For the most emotion, Victor and Yura. For presentation, Mila and for the most risk of the night, Phichit.” All the contestants broke into laughter as Minako basically skirted any chance of controversy with her answer.

“All of the contestants had something to offer this evening that gave us a facet of their best attributes,” Yakov said. “But I feel the most impact on a performance and emotional level should go to Victor, and then Yura.”

“All right then, there you have it folks,” Morooka said. “And that's our show for tonight. Join us tomorrow for the results show, when we will have a very rare and special performance from the Prima Donna of Superstar Grand Prix herself, Ms. Lilia Baranovskaya. On behalf of our judges and Superstars, have a great night everyone. Morooka – out!

  


  


  


**Morooka's Office, Post-Performance Show**

“You can't be serious. I had no idea you were doing this, and I honestly don't think it's a good idea to surprise the contestants on the night of the performance show with this. You will throw them all for a loop whether it's in a good or bad way. What the hell were you thinking?”

Seung Gil had expected his usual post-show chat with Morooka to be as per usual, in the production manager's office, but instead had been called to the executive producer's office. It was for that reason he'd suspected Morooka was up to something, and his gut instinct was right.

“But can you imagine how much more impact it will have if we surprise them all?” Morooka said. “I'm just ecstatic that we were able to get everyone to come in. We had to swear them all to secrecy and if they were contacted by any of the contestants, to play it cool. It will make for some fantastic television!”

“There is a serious fine line you're walking here Morooka,” Seung Gil said, his anger rising in him. “I already told you that there appeared to be some issues with at least one of the people you've brought in. I don't know the whole story about it but it could potentially not go as well as you think it will. You really should have talked to me about this before you just went ahead and did it. They're all here now and we can't change that, but I will _not_ allow you to ambush these poor people live on the air, then expect them to perform after you've made them emotional wrecks. I warned you last week about getting caught up in all this drama.”

Morooka's face had turned more and more stunned as Seung Gil talked, then annoyed as he finished. “I don't know if you really understand how all this works,” Morooka said. “We have to keep the audience interested, and that means adding the element of surprise. This would add a human interest element to the mix.”

“I will _not_ allow it! Not the way you want to do it!” Seung Gil said, nearly shouting now, at which Morooka took a step back from where he'd been standing behind his desk, raising a hand.

“All right, all right. What do you suggest then?” Morooka said, his tone annoyed as he sat down in his seat.

“We do it on the interview set at the beginning of the production week, and record them. Then the contestants get final say over the edits we play on the show,” Seung Gil said. “They deserve that much. It's bad enough that you want to do this with next week's theme, which isn't really enough time for them to digest all of this on top of beginning work on their songs. If you'd gotten to know them a bit more, you'd know why what you wanted to do is a bad idea.”

Morooka seemed to back down a bit then. “Mm... all right. That seems reasonable enough. But maybe we can give them a bit more of a head start. Why not do it after the results show tomorrow?”

Seung Gil considered it. “We could. It would add an extra element to their song preparations too, considering the theme. It will be a little bittersweet for whoever goes home though.”

“True. Maybe we can hold off till the next day then, wait till the eliminated contestant leaves for the promo tour. Then bring the others to the set. I know that's usually their off-day, so they won't be expecting it.”

Seung Gil sighed heavily then. “I think that will work best. I feel like this could be a delicate situation for at least one of them, so I really want to handle it with respect. Not everything has to be for ratings, you know.”

Morooka was silent for a few moments then. “The ratings keep ticking up, the preliminary numbers for tonight were insane,” he said. “The big guys keep putting pressure on us to do more.”

“Here's a question. Did Yakov know about this?” Seung Gil asked.

“He knew we wanted to do this, and helped pull some strings to make it happen,” Morooka said. “But he didn't know about how we wanted to execute it.”

“You do realize he'd have probably fired you on the spot right?” Seung Gil said. “Something this big should be going through him. We should probably tell him when we meet for dinner tonight. But we are going with my plan. I'm not backing down on this.”

“Fine, fine,” Morooka said with a wave. “I was under the impression they were keeping Yakov in the loop as well as you, but apparently not.”

“No, and I'm going to have a talk with Yuuto and Satoko immediately,” Seung Gil said, irritation coloring his tone. “Just because we had surprise drama last week that boosted our ratings doesn't mean we have to manufacture it to keep them. I think everyone is getting a little too caught up in this and forgetting that we're dealing with human beings, not commodities. Sure they're all going to be stars, but that doesn't mean you treat them like robots for your agenda.”

There was an awkward silence between the pair of friends then, with Seung Gil wondering how the massive success of the show had managed to change Morooka. Maybe it was the influence of the American segment of Eros Entertainment, as the other productions he'd worked with on Morooka in different parts of the world hadn't involved things like this. He'd always known that American media had their focus on different things, and that their talent shows often revolved around stunts of the nature that was being planned – but that didn't mean Seung Gil had to like it, and he wasn't afraid to put his foot down to stop it.

“You're better than this, Morooka,” he finally said. “You've always been known as a father figure in whatever you've done. The talent shows we did in Korea and Japan? Everyone loves you as much as they love the contestants. You've gotten that reputation here too, you're right up there with Ryan Seacrest in approval ratings. Don't fall into the trap of whatever the current influence is. Let's keep this show to the standards we've always held. Let's be better than that, and let this show be remembered _for_ that.”

Morooka let out another heavy sigh then. “You're right. Things are starting to get a bit crazy. But I've always been able to count on you to pull my head out of the clouds, even when you were just a scrawny intern,” he said, his tone turning a bit teasing.

“If I don't, clearly no one else will,” Seung Gil said. “And you _really_ don't want Yakov blacklisting you after all these years do you? Because you know damn well he will if you cross him. He's killed careers just as easily as he's made them.”

Morooka nodded with raised eyebrows then. “Yeah, true.” After a few more moments of silence where he stared down at the surface of his desk, Morooka looked back up at the young, gifted stage manager that had risen in the ranks to become his right hand.

“Hey... thanks,” Morooka said softly. “I owe you one for this smackdown.”

“Then make it one damn good dinner, because I'm starving,” Seung Gil said. “Let's go meet up with the judges and get them in the loop on all of this.”

“Sounds good,” Morooka said, rising from his chair; the pair then locked up their respective offices and headed out to meet up with the judges for their post-show dinner, their friendship mended once more.

  


 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi hello, I managed to get this update posted in a reasonable amount of time, go me! lol :)
> 
> Re: the "guessing game": For several of American Idol's seasons, Ryan Seacrest actually pulled this stunt on the contestants. I remember it being done in a few ways with mixed results, but my favorite was Season 7. David Archuleta was the last to be called upon, and the other contestants had been split up. When Ryan asked him to choose which side he thought was the bottom, he refused and sat down in the middle of the stage. Ryan ended up bringing the three contestants that were safe over to Archie, and David Cook sat down with him, giving him a pat on the back for not choosing. (Here's a [video](https://youtu.be/iWfzxPqqZt8?t=1m34s).) It's been talked about quite a bit over the years that the cast of Season 7 was the most close-knit of all the seasons; many of them are still in touch to this day (save for Michael Johns, who passed away a couple of years ago). I've patterned the friendships of the Superstars around those of the AI Season 7 cast, with a little splash of Season 8 (the Adam Lambert/Kris Allen season).
> 
> Phichit's performance this week was inspired by [this amazing cover](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iz0QrHMyP2k) of "My Heart Will Go On" by Nick Pitera; his voice is the range I picture Phichit to have, where he could easily pull off a song like this. Unfortunately, his cover is not on Spotify but is apparently available in a couple of other places.
> 
> The [fic playlist](https://open.spotify.com/user/fallbackintome/playlist/0jJjh4a3fv5oXd7iSJMhSH?si=q3vwuFrMRN6_ffKEZ3ta8A) has been updated; I couldn't really find any remixes of the group number songs, so unfortunately they're duplicates. :(
> 
> And last but not least, as always thank you for all the comments, kudos and hits. Please feel free to share this fic with anyone you think may enjoy it! I am at @AslanKatsuki on Twitter; my Tumblr is ~HuntressFirefall but I've been hearing varying things about how well links are even seen there anymore, so I haven't been there as of late but I'll try to start posting there again as well.
> 
> And that's it... see you next time! :)


	14. Results - Week Seven and Live Shows - Week Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “This is how it's going to be now,” Victor said softly. “No one here is any less talented. Up to now, it was almost easy to see who would leave. Now it's because someone has to. Just remember you won't be far away from us, and this is not the end. We will all be okay.”

**Songs From The Movies Week – Results Show, Post-Dress Rehearsal**

“I'm fine... I just didn't expect those lyrics to hit me as hard as they did...”

Five of the six remaining Superstars were huddled around Victor protectively after their return to the green room at the conclusion of dress rehearsal for the results show group number. Due to their largely secluded state, mostly because of how busy and regimented their lives were because of the show, they had only all heard the song they were doing for the first time in any way, shape or form a week prior as it was relatively new. However, it wasn't until actually singing the lyrics that all of the contestants had come to realize just how deeply personal they were – especially for Victor, who by the third runthrough was an outright mess, in a state that no one had ever thought they'd see the usually composed Russian. Yuri in particular was holding onto him tightly, with Mila flanking his opposite side, her own arms wrapped around him as well as he'd sobbed uncontrollably for several minutes before finally opening up to them all with the same story he'd told Yuri about his family.

“Parents suck,” Yura finally said after struggling with his own feelings that had been brought up from the song's lyrics. “They don't get how what they do and say fuck with you. Or even the things they _don't_ do or say.”

“It's always hard to hear things from people who don't believe in you or don't understand where you're coming from,” Phichit said. “I can't even begin to understand what it would feel like to hear it from the people who are supposed to support you the most. I've gotten shit from people over time for various things but that's the farthest I can relate...”

“No one should have to relate to any of it,” Victor said softly. “If nothing else, let what Yura and I have been through teach you to never take that support for granted.”

“I mean... even when you're supported though, sometimes even one thing that's not meant to can stick with you and hurt,” Yuri said. “When I fell apart for my recital, my family told me they were disappointed in me even though they knew why it happened. I needed their support then more than anything, especially when I was getting hell for it from my classmates, people I thought I could call friends, but in that moment I felt like they weren't there for me.”

“The difference there is you can get past it sometimes,” Mila said. “When you look back, you see where they came from and when you've healed you can forgive it. But some things... like what Victor has been through... that's something that goes a lot deeper than a few misplaced words.”

Victor had remained quiet for a bit, listening to the conversation before he finally found the strength to speak again. “When my mother left me that message and then I didn't hear from her again... and I tried to call the number, but it wasn't hers anymore or maybe never was, it might have been someone else's phone... it's just been weighing on me ever since. I don't know what's going on, how to get in touch with her, or if she's okay. I guess this all brought it to a head. I'll be okay... I'll get through tonight, it's not like I haven't pushed through shit like this before.”

“This might seem like a weird thing to say in the middle of this whole conversation but... I think you should take the improvisation for the end chorus of the group number,” Yura said to Victor. “When you took it over in the last runthrough... you need that.”

Victor looked around at the faces of his friends then as they all nodded their agreement, pulling in his lower lip to chew on a bit as he felt another rush of emotion threatening to overwhelm him. He nodded back, a flush coming over his face.

“Okay,” he replied. “As long as you're all okay with it.”

“We all picked the lines we related to best in the song,” Chris pointed out. “We all will already have had our spotlights. It will be nice to finally get to do a full song that isn't edited too, and this one really shouldn't be. And what you did with that final improv?”

“It was fucking beast mode,” Yura said. “Which is why you need to do it. Trust me, I get it.”

“And you can't tell me anyone who relates to this song won't relate to your emotions singing it,” Mila said. “Do this in a context where they're not judging us, for once.”

“Which is the ultimate irony,” Yuri said, “considering what the song is about. It's pretty fitting as a group number to be honest.”

“All right... we'll just need to tell Kieran of the change to the end for the lighting,” Victor said, allowing his mind to shift to the technical to get himself re-centered.

“I'll go find Seung Gil,” Phichit said. “He can let Kieran know.” He rose then, giving Victor a pat on the shoulder before heading out the door of the greenroom and down the hallway to the stage door. As he got closer however, he began to make out Seung Gil's voice speaking to someone. Happy that he wouldn't have to chase all over the soundstage for the production manager Phichit drew closer, staying in the hallway so that he didn't interrupt the business at hand.

“--I was right,” Seung Gil was saying as Phichit got into earshot. “I was going to check on Victor when I heard him talking to the others about it. I've known there was something up with him for a while and now I'm glad we've gone in the direction we have all things considered. I'm glad I spoke up.”

“It sounds like a pretty rough situation all around,” Emil replied, revealing himself as the other half of the conversation. “Is he okay?”

“I think he will be, the others were rallying around him,” Seung Gil said. “But now we know we have to proceed with a bit more caution going forward, especially with what's up this coming week.”

“Man, it's a good thing Morooka didn't pull what he wanted to then. It would have majorly fucked everyone up,” Emil said. “Good television or not, some shit you have to treat delicately, especially any kind of family matters. Victor isn't the type to want his dirty laundry out there.”

“Exactly. Sometimes I think the things I do find out don't get used in the ways they're supposed to be,” Seung Gil said. “Which is why I'm going to be more careful about what I tell Morooka from now on.”

“ _Heyyyyyyyyy_ Seung Gil!” Phichit said, rounding the corner through the stage door from the corridor with his megawatt smile in place. “Just the guy I wanted to see!”

There was a momentary pause where Phichit could tell both of the other men were stunned to silence and likely worrying about how much the contestant had heard; they both then snapped into business mode, with Emil giving a short goodbye before taking his leave.

“Hi Phichit,” Seung Gil said. “What can I help you with?”

“So we've decided that Victor is going to take the full improv on that last chorus rather than all of us trading off,” Phichit said. “He said he was worried about making sure Kieran knew so I wanted to let you know before the show.”

“Ah, okay. Yeah I'll let him know right away so he can reprogram his directions to the other lighting techs too.” Phichit noticed that Seung Gil was trying very hard to seem short because he was busy, as was obvious by how he was looking down at his work iPad – which only had his lockscreen on it from the glimpse Phichit caught. A moment later Seung Gil passed his hand over it as he unlocked it, opening the iMessage app to send off the message to the lighting director. “Okay, all done, you're good to go.”

“Thanks,” Phichit said. “Well, I'm gonna get back...”

“Hey how is Victor? Is everything okay? He seemed kind of upset at the end of rehearsal, I've never seen him leave the stage so abruptly. He's always chatting with everyone,” Seung Gil asked.

Phichit was immediately struck at how Seung Gil was acting as if he hadn't overheard what was happening. “Well... he... just relates to the lyrics pretty strongly for his own reasons,” he replied. For a moment he had debated linking it back to the leaked photos, but knowing Seung Gil actually knew the real reason behind everything meant that Phichit would be caught in a lie, and he certainly didn't want that. There was already one possibly distrustful party between them, and it wasn't going to be Phichit.

Seung Gil made note of how carefully Phichit had placed his words and felt his own doubts creeping in about just how in the dark Phichit had been about the conversation he'd been having with Emil. “Ah, I see.” He then got a message in his headset from Yuuto, requesting his presence. “Anyway... I'm being summoned. I'll catch up with you after the show okay?”

“Yeah, sure,” Phichit said. He watched as Seung Gil hurried off, probably a bit more quickly than was really needed, then turned back into the hallway with his own guard raised up just a bit more than it had been only a scant ten minutes prior. It seemed more apparent than ever that their lives really had become fair game, and Phichit wasn't sure he felt all that great about it – and even less sure who, outside of his fellow contestants, he could trust.

  
  


  
  


“All right everyone, one minute to live, places please!”

At the director's signal the six remaining contestants filed onto center stage at the marks that would be used for the bottom three later on, standing in a row facing the stage while hidden by the stage-to-ceiling screen that had the show's logo projected on it. They could hear the murmur of the crowd behind it as the studio staff called out for everyone to take their seats. As Morooka emerged from stage right to begin the live cold open to the show, Phichit, who was last in line as the six of them were standing in the order they'd performed, felt his eyes narrow as he remembered Emil's words from earlier:  _“Man, it's a good thing Morooka didn't pull what he wanted to then. It would have majorly fucked everyone up...”_

“Are you listening dude?”

Phichit blinked out of his thoughts to see Yura looking at him. “You okay? We gotta move down a step, we're not in the right marks.”

“Yeah, just a little distracted,” Phichit said as he moved over a pace; to his left he could hear Seung Gil counting down, the stage dimming as the screen was raised, the side screens facing the audience with the “Quiet Please” screens displayed so they didn't cheer upon seeing the contestants.

“Going live in 5... 4... 3... 2... 1!”

Morooka began to walk slowly past each contestant, the cameraman walking backwards with the contestants on his right and Morooka in focus, catching the Superstars in profile as they stared out at the audience.

“Last night, our Superstars took on some of the most iconic songs from the movies, and we had some really amazing and unexpected performances,” he began. “But tonight, we unfortunately still have to say goodbye to one of them. We'll also have a very stirring and emotional performance from our contestants, and a very rare and special guest performance by our very own in-house vocal coach and Prima Donna of the world of opera, Ms. Lilia Baranovskaya. Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a crazy ride with some very _shocking_ results. THIS... is Superstar Grand Prix!”

As the theme music began to blare through the studio and the contestants were told to head to their marks by the band in preparation for their performance, each of them felt a bit of apprehension creep in. Why would the results be “shocking”? As they turned around to face the audience, the farther back of the two massive screens coming down to cover them temporarily they all traded glances, and no one seemed to feel at ease if expressions were any measure of judging. They listened as the intro came to an end and Morooka went into his opening monologue, after which he introduced the judges. With less contestants to eliminate there was more time for showy displays, which left them all feeling a bit on edge and wanting to get their performance underway to distract from the inevitable to come.

“All right. So last night our theme was 'Songs From the Movies',” Morooka began. “Before we get to our contestants' performance tonight, let's take a look at something very special they got to do this past week.” He turned to the screen that was concealing the contestants; behind it, they watched the video segment, which from their point of view was flipped backwards.

_Shot of the six remaining Superstars on the shuttle bus, riding through the city._ **Phichit, sitting with Yuri:** So we are all really excited about what we're doing today, especially since Yuri and I both graduated from a performing arts college.  **Yuri:** All of the performing arts high schools in the area had to submit a project to the producers saying why they thought they should get a visit from us. The Los Angeles High School of the Arts was the winner, but they don't know it yet.  **Chris:** They have a usual morning assembly on Wednesdays, but they don't know we're going to be there and they don't know about the surprise we're bringing with us.  _Shot of the Superstars disembarking the bus and sneaking into the back way of the auditorium; cut to shot of the principal giving the usual assembly address before the curtained stage. Behind the curtain the Superstars are taking their places, with Takeshi and the Hollywood Week stripped-down version of the the SGP band in place. The principal says a specific keyword and the band breaks into an extended introduction of “Seasons of Love”. The curtain rises and reveals the six Superstars and the auditorium goes insane. Abbreviated shots of them performing the song, with the entire auditorium singing the correct backing harmonies and clapping where is appropriate in the score, then applause when they finish. More footage of them talking about their time on the show and taking questions, then spending some time meeting with the students._

**Victor, onstage as a movie screen is lowered down at the back of the stage, the band already being packed up:** So we also have one more surprise before we leave today. We will be hanging out with all of you to watch a screening of the hit movie “The Greatest Showman”!  _The students go nuts again; shots of the Superstars having fun passing out popcorn and movie candy before settling in to watch the movie with the students. More shots of them meeting students, including one telling **Yura** how he has inspired them; then the Superstars presenting a check from Eros Entertainment to the principal with a sizable donation to help the school with various needs. _ **Mila, with a small group of students around her:** When you are growing up with dreams that seem kind of crazy and not practical, sometimes it's hard to find that support. A school like this is so important to help that and have people around you that share those dreams, so you feel like you're not alone and can do anything you want with what you do best and love most.  _Final shot of the bus pulling away with many of the students on the front lawn cheering and waving goodbye._

“And there was yet one more surprise for the students of Los Angeles High School of the Arts,” Morooka continued. “They are all in our audience tonight, let's give them a big welcome!” The cameras then panned over the students, who took up several rows of the middle section of seats, all wearing the school colors and some waving signs with their favorite Superstar's name. The cameras then cut back to Morooka on the stage.

“Performing the smash hit song “This Is Me” from _The Greatest Showman_ , here are Yuri, Chris, Mila, Victor, Yura and Phichit! Let's hear it for our Superstars!” he then announced, sweeping his arm in a flourish as the screen rapidly rose behind him, revealing the six Superstars in silhouette behind it. Having watched the footage in its final edited state had only added to the emotional tone the day had already begun with, and as Takeshi began the piano intro Yuri felt himself struggling to keep his emotions in check, as did the others as they sang their respective parts.

**Yuri:**  
I'm not a stranger to the dark  
Hide away, they say  
'Cause we don't want your broken parts  


**Chris:**  
I've learned to be ashamed of all my scars  
Run away, they say  
No one will love you as you are  


**Mila:**  
But I won't let them break me down to dust  
I know that there's a place for us  
For we are glorious

As the quiet first verses came to an end, Phichit and Yura began to build the chorus, the delivery of their respective verses carrying the feel of hope building as their voices grew stronger:  
  
**Yura:**  
When the sharpest words wanna cut me down  
I'm gonna send a flood, gonna drown them out  
I am brave, I am bruised  
I am who I'm meant to be, this is me

 **Phichit:**  
Look out 'cause here I come  
And I'm marching on to the beat I drum  
I'm not scared to be seen  
I make no apologies, this is me

As the drums picked up their march-like rhythm the six Superstars fanned out over the stage, three each handling the “call-and-answer” format of the vocalizations. Five of them stopped about ten paces from the edge of the stage as Victor walked to nearly the edge, the hand holding the microphone clenching it tightly and the other already balled into a fist as the growly lower end of his midrange carried over the room:

**Victor:**  
Another round of bullets hits my skin  
Well, fire away 'cause today, I won't let the shame sink in  
We are bursting through the barricades  
And reaching for the sun ( **All:** we are warriors)  
Yeah, that's what we've become ( **All:** yeah that's what we've become)

The other five contestants joined Victor for the next two lines, followed by Victor unleashing a massive high note for the final line of his verse:  
  
**All/Victor (last line solo):**  
Won't let them break me down to dust  
I know that there's a place for us  
For we are glorious

The six of them then stood together, moving in closer and presenting a united front as they sang the chorus together in harmony with the accompaniment of a choir behind them and the extra drums making the stage feel as if it were rumbling with thunder beneath their feet. After a short musical interlude there was another chorus that began with a few different lyrics; each Superstar then took a line that they'd chosen specifically for its meaning to them on a personal level. Phichit in particular got a chance to shine in the second line with a glory note of his own before there was a quiet interlude for which the remaining contestants sang softly, emotions swelling in those four lines to the point where all six where fighting tears, with Victor's voice nearly faltering at the end of his line:

 **Yura:** And I know that I deserve your love  
**Phichit:** There's nothing I'm not worthy of  
**Mila:** When the sharpest words wanna cut me down  
**Chris:** I'm gonna send a flood, gonna drown them out  
**Yuri:** This is brave, this is bruised  
**Victor:** This is who I'm meant to be, this is me

As the final chorus crashed in, Yuri, Phichit, Mila, Chris and Yura stepped back, singing the backing vocals as Victor took over the final improvisations, wailing higher and harder and with more emotion than he'd ever presented with before. As the cameras panned to each contestant's face the emotions were quite evident but no more so than Victor, who when the song came to its end stood at stage center, chest heaving with a sob, face stained with tears. Many in the audience had been brought to the same response, especially Minako over at the judges' table. The crowd went insane and the director opted to skip Morooka's talk-out to the commercial break, letting a full ten seconds of wild applause and cheers go by as they panned across the six contestants standing in a line on stage, having stepped together to join hands in a message of support for each other after an impromptu, synchronized mic drop quickly initiated by Chris that evoked even more wild applause.

After realizing during the rehearsals that there really wasn't a whole lot of time for the contestants to compose themselves during the commercial break, Seung Gil had suggested a change to the running order of the show that had the director in agreement and as such was put in place: Lilia's performance would be done between the group number and the results. That was more than fine for the Superstars, who left the stage and went to the green room to regroup after the performance proved to be even more emotional than any had anticipated after watching the video segment and seeing the students in the audience. A quick makeup retouch, some hydration and a cookie for each (Satoko's idea, which they liked even more) followed as they watched Lilia perform on the monitors, her voice pristine even after decades of performance. She did a short interview with Morooka during which she made note of the album she'd recorded that would be released that Friday that contained opera classics. The show then went to break, during which the contestants returned to the chairs.

“We de-stress just in time to re-stress,” Phichit quipped as they settled in in the same order as they had for the performance show: Victor, Yuri and Phichit on the top row and Chris, Yura and Mila on the bottom row.

“I don't know if I'd call the performance stress per se,” Yuri said. “More like catharsis.”

Victor nodded in agreement. “Yes, definitely.”

“You left your fucking body, are you sure you're even back yet?” Yura asked him.

Victor laughed softly in response. “I think I'm more present than I have been for the last little while,” he admitted. “It felt pretty amazing, not going to lie. But I'm sure Lilia will be freaking out over my 'screaming' later.”

“If she hasn't figured out you know what you're doing yet, she never will,” Mila laughed as 30 seconds to air was called.

“And we are back,” Morooka began as the cameras focused in on him. “We've had some phenomenal performances tonight, but now we have to get down to business and find out our results. Kieran, dim the lights, and here we go. Yura, you're up.” Yura walked over to center stage to stand with Morooka.

“You performed 'Blaze of Glory' by Jon Bon Jovi. Celestino said you really fill up a room with your voice. Minako said you just get better with every performance. And Yakov said you are taking more risks that are paying off. Yura, please stand to my right.” There was a murmur in the crowd as they noticed Morooka once again did not designate whether or not Yura was safe as he called Yuri next.

“You sang 'It Will Rain' by Bruno Mars. Minako said it was a really solid performance. Celestino said it was an excellent job on a tough vocal. And Yakov said the song showed how much you have improved since your audition. Yuri, please stand to my left.” Yuri stepped over to the mark at the left of Morooka, sharing a moment of eye contact with Yura where both held the same “here we go again” expression while Morooka called Victor next.

“You performed 'Iris' by the Goo Goo Dolls. Celestino said it was a really fantastic job. Minako said you gave her chills. And Yakov said you will be the other half of the top two. Victor, please join Yuri to my left.” There was a scattering of cheers as Victor stepped over next to Yuri; at Victor's wink Yuri returned it and they wrapped their arms around each other's shoulders for a moment to have a bit of fun with the crowd before taking their hands back to themselves and smirking at the squeals and cheers of reaction.

“Chris, come on over buddy,” Morooka continued; there were cheers as Chris walked over and he waved and smiled in response as he took his mark. “You sang 'Earned It' by The Weeknd. Minako said it was seriously sexy. Celestino said your vocal control is ridiculous. And Yakov said it was excellent as always. Chris, please join Yura on my right.” Chris walked over, giving Yura's shoulder a pat of reassurance as the teen stood with his hands clasped tightly behind him.

“Phichit, your turn my friend,” Morooka called; more cheers of support followed as Phichit took his mark. “You performed 'My Heart Will Go On' by Celine Dion. Celestino said it was phenomenal. Minako said it was complete perfection. And Yakov said it may have been better than the original. Phichit, go ahead and join Yuri and Victor.” The former pair kept up with their joke, stepping apart to allow Phichit to stand between them, all three smiling at the cries of disagreement in the audience as Mila walked up to Morooka, the final contestant remaining.

“You sang 'Skyfall' by Adele. Minako said it wasn't the right song for you. Celestino said you have amazing vocal control. And Yakov commended you for stepping out of your comfort zone. Mila, please join Chris and Yura.” She walked over, the two men stepping apart to stand on either side of her before both wrapped their arms around her, which she returned.

“All right judges,” Morooka said as he stood between the pair of trios, “Which of these two groups do you think is the bottom three?”

The crowd erupted into angry shouts and boos and Minako shot Morooka a “wtf” glare while Celestino covered his mouth in contemplation, seeming unwilling to choose. Knowing both of his fellow judges had a distaste for such stunts – and truth be told, after the emotions he'd seen the contestants put out earlier, he wasn't fond of it right now himself – Yakov leaned forward to his microphone, the crowd quieting in response.

“We have reached the point in the competition that the bottom three does not reflect a lack of talent,” Yakov emphasized. “I want you all to remember that.” All six of the contestants, both trios with arms interlocked around each other, nodded in understanding. “That said... I believe, based on the performances of last night, that our bottom three is Chris, Yura and Mila.”

Morooka made a show then of unsealing the results card, which was in an envelope in his hand. “And... Yakov... is correct. Chris, Yura and Mila are our bottom three tonight.” The crowd once again erupted in boos and angry shouts. Upon being told to head back to the chairs however, Victor, Yuri and Phichit declined, instead opting to stay nearby on the stage, stepping back a few paces.

“And so we have our bottom three,” Morooka said. “Who is going home? We'll find out... after the break.” The playout to commercial music sounded through the studio then, the green lights atop the cameras turning red, signaling they were off the air.

The six contestants convened at center stage to form up into a group hug, exchanging encouraging words as the audience offered cheers and calls of support. They leaned into the huddle, thankful for not having microphones on as they spoke to each other.

“This is how it's going to be now,” Victor said softly. “No one here is any less talented. Up to now, it was almost easy to see who would leave. Now it's because someone has to. Just remember you won't be far away from us, and this is not the end. We will all be okay.” The all nodded and their interlocked arms tightened as they all leaned in close for one last hug before the 30 seconds to live call went up, the two groups of three returning to their places on the stage.

“And we are back,” Morooka said. “Let's get right to the results. The first person being sent to safety... is...” There was a five second pause that felt like an eternity. “...Yura. You are safe, go and join Victor, Yuri and Phichit.” He walked over as told, trying to not act “too” happy but accepting his fellow contestants' high fives.

“Chris and Mila are our bottom two,” Morooka continued. “Judges, do you have any last words before we announce the results?”

“I speak for all three of us when I say you are both immensely talented,” Minako said. “No matter what happens, you're both going to have amazing careers, I firmly believe that.”

“All right then,” Morooka said as he turned to the pair; Chris turned to Mila, pulling her into a hug that she returned, murmuring something into her ear that made her smile. “The person going home tonight... is...” Once again, an eternal five second pause.

“...Mila. I'm sorry dear, but you are going home tonight.”

Mila nodded; she had been telling the other contestants for most of the day that she felt she would be the one going home, as she had been the only one who'd had a mostly negative critique. Chris hugged her tightly as he murmured encouraging words into her ear that she returned; the rest of the Superstars then gathered around to each hug her in turn, their well-wishes causing her to fight off tears.

“Before Mila sings us out one last time, let's take a look at her journey,” Morooka said, draping a friendly arm around her shoulders as he turned with her toward the screens, where the requisite montage of her time on the show beginning with her audition was displayed. The extra clips of Victor's birthday party and the day at the animal shelter made her more emotional as they'd been some of her favorite memories; the video editors also made sure to add a clip of Sara singing “And I Love Her” to her before a bit of her final performance of “Skyfall” was shown. Seung Gil walked over with a microphone and Mila couldn't suppress the wicked grin that crossed her face as she decided to leave with a bang: She elected to, in a nod to one of her “controversial” moments on the show, conclude her time as a Superstar with the very appropriately titled “Sorry Not Sorry” by Demi Lovato, wailing it out that much more defiantly as the remaining five contestants whooped and cheered behind her, singing along to the backing vocals of the chorus. As Mila's song concluded and the six contestants embraced once more, Morooka took front and center in the cameras.

“And that's it for this week everyone. Join us next time, when our contestants will dedicate songs to those most important in their lives. It's sure to be a very compelling show, so we hope you'll join us. Until then, on behalf of our Superstars and judges, have a great night everyone. Morooka – out!”

  
  


  
  


**Morning After Results Show, Eros Entertainment Soundstage**

The morning after results shows was usually a day off for everyone to regroup, that always began with the difficult task of saying goodbye to the eliminated contestant. Nikolai, however, had made it a joyous affair with a Russian breakfast spread that Yura and Victor both helped with, refusing to allow Mila to lift a finger. Though Mila would be staying in town once her press tour was done – she was also not entirely sad, as she'd be sharing her room at the hotel with Sara – she was still going to miss the company of her “adopted brothers” as much as they'd miss their “adopted sister”. But once they'd seen Mila off they were surprised to find Seung Gil at the door, informing them that there was extra footage that needed to be shot for the coming week's interview segments, and that he'd be back with the shuttle bus in two hours to pick them up for the trip to the lot.

At present the five remaining contestants – Victor, Yuri, Chris, Phichit and Yura – were seated in the same green room that they waited in for the live and results shows, feeling a bit out of sorts that it was so early in the afternoon on their day off. Phichit, in particular, was feeling a bit suspicious. He hadn't been able to get rid of the apprehensive feeling since overhearing Seung Gil and Emil the day before, but hadn't mentioned it to his fellow contestants. He still decided against doing so; there was no use getting everyone, especially Yuri, more stressed out than they needed to be.

Finally, after a half hour during which the contestants continued to wonder exactly what was up, Seung Gil came into the room.

“Okay, we're ready to start,” he said. “Yuri, come on with me.” Yuri rose and followed as they headed down to the set where all of the interview shorts that had been shown thus far during the broadcasts and featured online had been shot. He settled into the comfy loveseat as usual, with one of the techs pinning a microphone to his shirt. He noticed there was one difference from the usual setup for interview pieces though, as a flatscreen monitor was present opposite the chair he was sitting in.

Seung Gil sat down in his usual chair, looking down at his iPad as he presumably pulled up the questions for the interview. “Okay Yuri, before we start, we have a surprise for you.”

Yuri blinked, not sure if he should be happy or not and exactly what type of “surprise” it was. “Oh? Should I be scared?” he smiled.

Seung Gil laughed at that. “No, I don't think so. Take a look at the screen.”

Yuri directed his attention to the flatscreen as it flickered to life – and his eyes went wide as it was filled with the image of his parents, sitting in the dining room of the onsen watching a huge 72 inch flatscreen television that hadn't been there when he'd last been home five years ago, on which was his “Soldier” redo performance. The video recorded their reactions to the entire song, and when his image finished performing on the screen they both applauded with huge smiles on their faces. The next shot was of the two of them facing the camera, his father beginning to speak directly to him in Japanese.

“Hello Yuri-san. You already know that we watch you every week, but we thought you would like to see it too. We love you very much and we miss you, but we are very proud of you for going so far on the show and for singing so beautifully,” Toshiya said, grinning as he spoke. His mother Hiroko then took over as her husband wrapped an arm around her shoulders; Yuri remembered that his mother was always a bit shy and was probably nervous about speaking as she began her message, also in Japanese.

“We are very sorry we can't be with you, but you know how things at the onsen are,” she continued. “Since you have been on the show things have gotten a lot better, and we hold viewing parties every week here. You have so many fans! They come to visit us and leave good luck wishes. I can't wait until you come home to see all the gifts and letters we have for you! I hope you'll have time to look through them all. You make so many people happy, and you make us happy too. We are always watching over you dear, and we love you very much and are so proud of you. We will talk to you soon.”

As the video ended Yuri removed his glasses and took a moment to have a bit of a cry; at Seung Gil's direction the camera filmed for a few moments before turning off and allowing Yuri to collect himself. He'd been pausing to clean off his glasses, looking down and not noticing the camera had switched on...

“Good lord, suck it up, it's just Mom and Dad being sappy as usual.”

Yuri shot straight up to his feet at the sound of the voice, throwing his glasses onto his face as he found himself crushed in his older sister Mari's arms. He immediately started to sob again, hugging her tightly for the first time in five years; the crew gave them several minutes to embrace, then to sit down on the loveseat together as Yuri once again collected himself.

“How long have you been here??” he asked her, still trying to wrap his head around the fact that she was in front of him.

“I got in the night before the performance show. They had me sit up in the balcony area where you can't see from the stage... so I got to see your performance,” she smiled. “You sounded so amazing... I'm so not used to seeing you that way it took me a minute to get my head right about it. Watching you on TV doing it and seeing you in person, it's so different.”

“Oh my god you were here both nights??” Yuri asked. “Why didn't they tell me??”

“I'm not sure, all I know is that they wanted to surprise you all,” she said.

Yuri looked over to Seung Gil then. “Why did they keep this from me?”

“I... I can't really say too much about it right now,” Seung Gil said. “Not until all the other contestants have been seen today. Then we'll explain everything, I promise. The producers wanted to do this a bit differently though, which is why they were here early... but I convinced them to change their minds. I'll explain more later.”

Yuri nodded then as he realized he was still squeezing Mari's hand tightly. “So now what's up?” he asked.

“Well, what we're doing here is we've been recording you so far, and we'd like you and Mari to talk a bit for the cameras. Then, once we have all our footage, we'll edit it and we are going to show you the final piece. Because this is so personal, we won't use anything you don't want us to, so you'll have to approve it.”

Yuri was a bit surprised at that, but pleasantly so. “Oh... okay. When will I see the finished thing?”

“We'll have them ready by your recording sessions on Friday,” Seung Gil said. “You'll get to screen it then. Mari will be invited to your recording session, so she can see it as well and give her approval.”

“All right,” Yuri said; Mari also nodded her agreement.

“Okay, I know you guys want to catch up so let's get the rest of this done,” Seung Gil said. “We'll put you in a room here so you can talk privately for a bit. We're... kind of surprising the others as well, so we don't want to spoil anything for them.”

Yuri's eyes went wide for that. “Oh... wow... that's going to be... a bit crazy then,” he laughed.

“It's going to be an eventful day, to be sure,” Seung Gil said as the cameraman signaled he was ready. “All right, I have some questions for you both, so let's get going here.”

  
  


One by one the contestants had been pulled from the green room, but none had returned as per usual with the interview segments. As a result, when Victor found himself alone in the room a definite feeling of unease began to descend upon him. Were they getting reprimanded for something? Was it some issue with the social media drama that had happened? His mind was starting to wander to different scenarios until finally, Seung Gil appeared in the doorway.

“Okay Victor, we're ready for you,” he said. Victor found he couldn't read the normally cool, all-business Seung Gil despite the production manager's occasional breaks from protocol to reassure a contestant or voice an opinion. He followed the other man down the hall and onto the interview set; he'd half-expected to see the other remaining contestants present since they hadn't returned, but he found himself sitting on the loveseat alone.

“So, you already know that this week's theme is 'Dedications', Seung Gil began as he sat down opposite Victor. “Some of you have taken on songs that are dedicated to specific people in your lives, but when we talked about this theme with you at the beginning of the season, all of you said that family came to mind first. So... in that light, we... have a surprise for you.”

Victor's brow furrowed into a partially-apprehensive, partially-confused expression as Seung Gil rose to pull back the white drape that lined the set to diffuse the lighting; a moment later, Victor was almost certain he was hallucinating.

She was as tall as he'd remembered, the statuesque frame speaking of her past as one of Russia's most famous supermodels. There were quite a few more lines on her face, to be certain, but she was still just as beautiful as he'd always remembered her gentle, caring face being. And her eyes... they had always been the ones he'd been born with, but now, they felt like looking into a mirror. In an absent thought, Victor took in her face and was grateful that every bit of his own countenance, right down to the thick, shimmery silver hair she wore in a heavy French braid that spilled over her shoulder, belonged to her... and not _him._

Her voice, speaking in Russian, was also just as comforting and musical as he'd remembered. “Vitya... I know it's been a long time, but I would hope you'd recognize your Mama Taisia.”

Her words broke him from the shock and he bolted upright; she nearly knocked him over as she lashed him into an embrace so tight he gasped for a breath at first. He felt himself burst open into tears, clutching her in return just as tightly as he ugly sobbed for several minutes, with her guiding them both to sit down on the loveseat. Seung Gil quietly waved the crew off, making the executive decision to reverse things and let Victor and his mother get reacquainted first, then see if they were interested in sharing anything for recording afterward. Soon the pair were alone with Seung Gil on the far side of the large soundstage, keeping tabs on their time but out of clear earshot of the curtained-off interview set, which obscured the pair from the view of the rest of the studio.

Victor finally collected himself enough to pull back and look into his mother's eyes, his hands on her shoulders as he struggled to process the fact that she was there, in front of him, for the first time in nine years, let alone halfway around the world from home.

“H...how?” he finally whispered in Russian, shaking his head in disbelief.

“When the producers found me to ask me to record the video to talk about you, they asked if I wanted to come and see you here. I told them I couldn't afford to, and that I also had some other situation that would maybe stop me. Not too long after that, I was contacted by some people from Eros Entertainment's Russia offices. They said they were told to get me whatever I needed. I don't know who made the call to do that but... I do know that Yakov has ties to the fashion industry in St. Petersburg... it's how Georgi and Anya are involved with the show. A few weeks later, they told me if I wanted to come, all I had to do was say so. So I did... and I had a visa and a current passport a few days later, and a plane ticket.”

“What about...”

“Your father?” Taisia actually smirked then, confusing Victor that much more. “That was why I didn't have money. He had already made me lose you. When I found him with a woman younger than my own son? That was it, the way out I needed. The divorce was final last month.”

Victor's mouth dropped open then, eyes going wide. “You're... free?”

“Yes... the last time I called you, it was on the phone he was still paying for. It was almost over but he didn't make it easy. But now he is gone, and I am here... and I cannot give back all the time I have lost with you because of him, but at least there is more to come now.”

Victor scrubbed at his eyes with the back of a hand as a new wave of tears welled up. “How long have you been here?”

“I got here three days ago. I saw the live performances, and I was there last night.” She broke into a huge grin then, cradling his face in both of her slender, graceful hands. “You were spectacular. So strong, so beautiful, so powerful. You walk just like your mama, you rule the stage. There is no way my blood isn't in your veins. You love the lights and the stage and all eyes on you, just like I did. But the difference is, you will never be made to give it up like I was. You will have every dream you deserve to have.” She brushed the tears that flowed over Victor's cheeks away with her thumbs as she leaned in to kiss his forehead softly, after which he pulled her into another embrace.

“I... I had hoped that whatever money I got from all of this, that I would be able to help you get away,” Victor said into her shoulder. “I still will help you however I can...”

“Shhh... we will worry about those things when it comes to them,” she said as she stroked his hair with one hand, still holding him tightly with the other arm. “I may have opportunities of my own too. Right now, we will focus on you, like it should be. I will be here for the rest of your time on the show, until the finale is over. Then we will see from there.”

He nodded then as they both leaned back out of the embrace; Victor then noticed the soft smile she wore, and couldn't help smiling himself – even though it had been nearly a decade, he knew she was about to tease him about something just by the glint in her ice blue eyes.

“So... that Japanese boy... he is very adorable. Will I have a son-in-law soon?” she winked.

Victor gasped and broke into laughter. “Mama!! I don't even know what's going on yet!” He gave her shoulder a soft, playful shove, falling into the interaction as easily as he used to when, as a young man in his late teens, she would tease him about the cute boys in dance class. Her musical laugh was comfortingly familiar, and suddenly Victor felt more at home than he had in a very, very long time.

“All right then,” she said. “But I want to meet him. I will have to talk with him and make sure he is good to you.”

“Mama!” he laughed, covering his face with both hands. “Oh god... it's like you've never been gone.”

“I never have been... not in here,” she said, placing a hand on her chest over her heart; he blinked back another rush of tears with a soft smile.

Just then the curtains parted and Seung Gil carefully peered into the interview set; due to their speaking in Russian, he had only been able to tell by the lightness of the tone that perhaps the most difficult part of the reunion had come to a conclusion.

“How's it going in here?” he asked, and was relieved to see Victor break into a grin.

“It's good... I... just need to know who to thank for this,” he said.

“Well... I'm not at liberty to tell you at this time. You'll find out eventually though,” Seung Gil said. “But I do have to ask if you'd both be up for talking a bit for the cameras, and I'll explain what we're going to do with all the footage we've shot in a bit but the long and short of it is, you and your mother will have final approval over what we use. Especially since this seemed to be a bit more delicate than everyone else's reunions.”

“Everyone else's?” Victor questioned. “Everyone has someone here?”

“Well... almost everyone. Unfortunately, Yura's mother declined to be included. She sent him a video message but for whatever reason, said she couldn't be here. Nikolai is standing in for her.”

“Yura is the the young Russian boy right?” Taisia asked, her English heavily-accented but quite fluent, a result of her once international career.

Victor nodded sadly. “Yes,” he replied in English so Seung Gil could understand. “He's... probably not doing well over that right now.”

“I am almost positive I know who his mother is, she's a singer,” Taisia said. “All I shall say is that I am not surprised.” She then turned to Seung Gil, who found himself slightly intimidated by the Russian woman's intense blue gaze. “That is off the record, however.”

_Well shit,_ Seung Gil thought to himself.  _She's a hell of a lot more savvy than we all realized. I knew I should have done more research on her._ “You have my word,” he nodded emphatically, at which Victor broke into a grin as he gripped his mother's hand.

“I'll give you one tip,” Victor said. “You don't cross my Mama. She's pretty tough.”

“I will definitely make note of that,” Seung Gil said.

Just then, the curtains parted and Anya appeared, portable makeup kit in hand. “Victor, let's get some touchups on you... Oh my god! Taisia Nikiforova??” Her eyes went wide. “Wait... Victor... she's your  _mother?”_

Victor grinned as his mother came over to greet Anya with the Russian double-air-kiss. “Yes,” he replied, flushing a bit.

“I take it your mother's a little famous?” Seung Gil asked, further intrigued.

“A bit. It was one of the reasons I didn't say much... I didn't want it to feel like maybe I got special treatment, since Yakov is the owner of Eros. I couldn't know how people would react,” Victor replied.

“It was for the best,” Taisia replied. “I want him to stand on his own. And he's done that quite well.”

“Yes,” Seung Gil replied as Anya set to work on touching up Victor while discussing with her assistant a few ideas for adjusting Taisia's look for the cameras. “He most certainly has.”

  
  


  
  


“Yura, you shouldn't talk about your mother that way. I know you are angry, but...”

“I don't care! They offered her money to come here, to make it easy for her, and she still said no. She stayed with whatever boyfriend she has this week. Just like always. I always knew she never wanted me, and this proves it.”

Nikolai had been having a very difficult time consoling Yura after his turn in the interview chair. He'd been shown a video his mother had recorded saying she was proud of him and wished him well, but that she couldn't be there for him and was sorry for it. He'd phoned her after he'd recorded his interview segment with Nikolai, and had found out that the selfishness he'd become more aware of as he'd gotten old enough to understand his mother's consistent absences from his life had not abated at all.

“She's a fucking bitch, I hate her,” Yura said, unsuccessfully holding back a rush of tears; he was thankful that he and Nikolai were still in the private room Seung Gil had led them to to talk alone. “Why doesn't she care? Why doesn't she want me? Is it because she didn't want to stay with my father? Not that he gave any more of a shit.”

Nikolai sighed heavily. He'd always been disappointed in his daughter's lack of connection to the son that she had admitted to him, back during her pregnancy, that she hadn't been ready for. The woman set aside approximately six years of her life, until Yura had reached kindergarten age, to raising him before resuming her career path as a singer. During the time between tours, she'd helped Yura get into music, but had not spent enough time with her growing son over the years to be a consistent influence in his life, leaving her parents to raise him in her stead.

“I guess I was just in her way, an inconvenience to her life,” Yura said as he calmed down. “I remember her being mad when I didn't want to quit school to follow her around the world. Did she think I wanted to spend all my time watching her find boyfriends? Victor told me what being even just in the St. Petersburg music scene when you're not a big star is like, and when I think about what she was asking now, knowing more? Knowing the shit you read about that goes on on tours like that? I guess she never counted on me growing up and getting old enough to read shit and understand it. But what the fuck... you would think that now that I'm doing this... I'm in front of the fucking world... she'd care. But you know what I think?”

Nikolai knew he had to let Yura work through this, as difficult as it was to hear him vent his pain. “What do you think, Yurachka?” he asked.

“She's fucking _jealous_. This? What I'm doing right now? This is what _she_ always wanted. She never wanted to just be a backup singer for the next Russian pop star, just tour around Russia and that's it. She wanted to be in front of the world, and I did better than her. I got what she never did because I fucking _worked_ for it. I got my ass out and went to auditions and kept learning and when I finally got the audition for this show, they saw what I could do. And here I am, on television in front of the fucking world every week, kicking ass, and she's _pissed off._ That's why she won't come.”

Nikolai wasn't sure he knew how to respond... because in his own gut, he knew Yura was right. He was never certain how his daughter had grown up so selfish when she'd learned all her life that hard work was how you achieved anything you wanted; it was how Nikolai and his late wife had managed to live comfortably, if not lavishly, in their retirement from jobs that had taken most of their lives and in Nikolai's case, some of his physical health in the form of a bad back.

“You don't have to say anything. I know it's a tough spot for you,” Yura said quietly, calming down. “But... I don't even know her like you do. She's my mother, yeah... but I don't _know_ her.”

“I know, Yurachka. And I know it's why you got close to Mila, because she was like the sister you never had, and the closest thing to a mother. She took care of you while she was here, and I know it's been hard with missing her too. And Victor... he's been like a big brother. You've had someone to look up to. And of course Otabek, who is similar to you in some ways. And I'm grateful that you have them in your life now.”

“They'll be gone soon too... once the tour is over, who knows what's going to happen,” Yura said sadly. “At least by then I'll be 17, and next year I'll be 18 and can do shit on my own...”

“Don't think about that now,” Nikolai said. “Focus this anger on your song this week. I think it is a good choice, and it will help you work things through.”

Yura looked up at him then. “You don't care what it talks about?” he asked.

Nikolai shook his head. “No... you have to do what helps you first. I will support that. I am not so blinded by love as a father that I can't see the faults.”

It was only when Yura was alone with Nikolai that he allowed himself open displays of affection; as a result he now allowed himself to be wrapped in the comforting embrace of the only father figure he'd ever really known.

“Thank you... for believing in me,” Yura said softly.

“Of course,” Nikolai said. “And I promise I always will.”

  
  


  
  


**Three Days Later – iTunes Single Recording Sessions**

“It is an honor to meet you, Ms. Baranovskaya. Thank you for all you have done for my son.”

Lilia was present at the recording sessions as always, to help the contestants warm up properly before the myriad of takes that they were usually put through during the course of their sessions. As Victor had come in with Taisia, the two Russian women, though from vastly different professions, had no less appreciation for each others' work.

“I remember seeing you in all of the fashion magazines,” Lilia said. “And then you disappeared. No one really knew why you suddenly left your career.”

“Well, it was getting close to the time where the younger ones were coming in anyway,” Taisia said. “But... I met Vladimir... and then I found out I was pregnant with Victor. My runway days were already close to over, I wasn't getting all the shows I used to. I could have had him and still stayed in print work... but...”

“You weren't allowed to,” Lilia confirmed, at which the other woman nodded.

“I saw it so much in the opera and ballet worlds, because sometimes they were intertwined. Men are weak. They cannot handle it when we are stronger than they are,” Lilia smirked. “But we teach them eventually.” Victor had to smile at that, and at the knowing look the women exchanged. “I never made the connection though,” she continued, “because of Victor's last name. He goes by your maiden name, the one you used for your profession as well.”

“That... was my choice, when I came of age and... left home,” Victor said. “I changed it.”

Lilia met eyes with Victor, and gave him an equally knowing look, then a nod. “It suits you better anyway to have the name of a legend. Because you will be one yourself,” Lilia replied.

Taisia gave Victor's shoulders a squeeze as he flushed bright red. “Of course he will. I have never expected anything less.”

Just then the studio door opened and Celestino poked his head out. “Okay Victor we're ready... I... oh!”

As Victor and his mother headed over, Taisia broke into laughter. “Hello there. It's been a while right?”

“Holy crap! No way, this is surreal!” Celestino was laughing as he hugged the woman; Victor wasn't quite sure what to make of it all until Celestino turned to him, still laughing.

“She was in one of our videos back in the day! The record company was really pushing us so they wanted a big name model in the clip. It was a pretty big deal at the time especially since it was still the Soviet Union back then. But damn, I'm blown away, this is your _mom?_ ”

“It just proves how small the world can be!” she laughed.

“I have to look this video up tonight when I go home,” Victor said as they headed into the studio. “I'm finding out stuff about you I didn't even know, Mama.”

She laughed as she sat down on the sofa behind the mixing board after being greeted warmly by Takeshi as Victor headed into the sound booth. “I'm full of surprises,” she grinned.

“Now we know where Victor gets it from!” Celestino laughed. “Anyway... so. I know everyone picked their songs a bit late this week because we waited till you found out about your loved ones being here, which turned out to be a good thing seeing as it did influence your choices. This song... is not what I expected from you, it's pretty heavy lyrically. You sure you want to go for it Victor?”

Victor was putting his headphones on as he listened to Celestino's question; he met eyes with his mother through the sound booth glass and she nodded reassuringly to him.

“I've never been more sure about any song choice than this one,” he said. “Let's go.”

  
  


“I still have time to change it, if it makes you uncomfortable. I have up until I walk into the booth, because they have my top two songs tracked in case I change my mind.”

Chris was waiting outside in the studio lounge with the other contestants and their loved ones for his turn at recording this week's song. He'd been a bit of an indecisive ball of emotion ever since he'd been given his Dedication Week surprises: A video from his parents, whom he'd known both worked jobs that wouldn't let them get away to come, at least not at this point in time; but most surprisingly, the loved one that _had_ come for him was Matheu. The pair had discussed at length the feelings both had been sorting through during their time apart and due to some of Chris' song choices, and as a result the song Chris had his heart set on now felt a bit inappropriate, but in a good way.

“No, you know what? I say go for it,” Matheu said. “When you did both for me, I liked this one better because you were dialed in to the emotions more. Sure, maybe we know where we're headed now, but that doesn't mean what you were feeling when you chose it wasn't real and won't make for a great performance.”

“I just... it's so _angsty_ ,” Chris laughed. “And clearly I have no reason to be angsty anymore.”

Matheu grinned at that. “Well no, you don't, but still. Besides, I love this song so just do it and kill it and make a million hearts weep for you so you stay in another week.”

Chris laughed yet again, the arm around Matheu's shoulders squeezing him tightly. “I like the way you think!” he replied just as Celestino came into the room to call Chris in for his session. As the pair took their leave, the others sans Victor and his mom, who had moved on to Emil's performance mentoring, watched them go.

“Well he finally seems totally happy,” Yuri said as he sat with Mari. “I'm glad they figured things out once and for all.”

“I know right?” Phichit said with a smile; he was sitting with his parents, who had been excitedly taking everything in and who the other contestants had found just as outgoing and fun as Phichit. They'd been most thrilled to finally meet Yuri after hearing Phichit talk about him for the past five years.

“He's been talking about it forever,” Yura said as he sat with Nikolai, who up until now had not sat in on one of his recording sessions but had been invited to this week by the producers to keep with the theme. “I almost feel like the group song we did this past week was some kind of sign.”

“Right?” Phichit said with wide eyes. “It's so weird. But then again, the producers did suggest the song to us, and like Mom said, they've known for about a month that this was happening for them to come here so... it might not be totally random.”

Yuri frowned at that. “You're not usually one to put on a tin hat,” he said. “What gives?”

Phichit blinked then, gasping a bit before composing himself. “Oh, nothing... just saying, is all. I mean, they gave us the list of themes way back in December, they have to have at least some things planned.”

“True, a show this big has to have some kind of framework in place,” Yuri agreed. “That's probably all it was. And the movie it was from came out at the beginning of December too so yeah, makes sense.”

Even though Yuri seemed placated with Phichit's response, Phichit himself noticed Yura giving him an appraising look out of the corner of his eye before turning back to acknowledge a question from Nikolai. It was at that point that Phichit knew that one way or another, he'd have to figure out a way to question Seung Gil, and figure out if he could really trust him or not. Until then, he decided to do his best to keep his distance.

  
  


  
  


**Three Days Later – Live Shows Week 8: Dedications**

Mari looked up into the intricate criss-cross of scaffolding that patterned the ceiling of the massive studio from her seat in the front row with the other contestants' families, Emil and Lilia. On television, the production didn't seem this big, with most of these off-screen goings on never really shown in any depth. But as she watched the shuffle of people running around both on the catwalks high above her head and hurrying across the stage at regular intervals, the band tuning up and doing short pieces of songs to soundcheck (though they were careful to soundcheck with songs that the contestants had already done – no spoilers were allowed even for them after a leak to the internet happened recently), she was still having trouble wrapping her head around just how huge the production was.

Mathew, who she was seated next to since having struck up a rapport with Chris' boyfriend, was standing up and facing the back of the studio, taking in the crowd. There were just a bit over two thousand people in the room both on the floor level which sloped up in stadium-style seating, and in the balconies that ringed the upper level of the studio. Even the crowds hadn't seemed this big on television even though their volume at their most animated indicated otherwise, and he finally sat back down with a shake of his head.

“I don't know how they do it, I think I'd be scared to death,” Matheu said. “It seems like so many people, and then you think about how many people around the world know them now...”

“It's crazy. Everyone back home in Japan is rooting for Yuri. I've had people come up to me that I don't even know asking to wish him well for them. And now that I'll be on TV too I'm going to have to find a disguise when I go home,” she smirked.

“I know, it's pretty crazy. But Chris has always wanted this. I admit I didn't understand why... but now being here, even though he hasn't performed yet... I get it now.”

“I'm not sure how Yuri will be once he's outside of this bubble,” Mari said. “It seems like a lot for him to take in. But he's changed so much not only because of this but in the time he's been away from home. He's a lot stronger now and more confident. It's good to see.”

“I think us being apart because of this is what has helped us both figure things out,” Matheu said. “If nothing else, I'll have that out of all of this.”

Mari was about to reply when Seung Gil walked out on stage with a microphone, calling for everyone's attention on the PA system.

“All right everyone, five minutes, please take your seats. A reminder that no cameras or other recording devices are allowed during the performances, and you will find you have no reception for your phones in here during the show so it's best to put them away now. If you are seen recording or taking photos our security will eject you. Thank you.” He handed the microphone to a tech then hurried offstage to address something he'd been alerted to in his headset.

The atmosphere in the room changed then, the white noise of everyone conversing slowly calming down to a murmur as people got situated. Lilia and Taisia had been talking a bit away from their seats and returned, with Taisia sitting down next to her, Phichit's parents to her right, and then to their right, Nikolai, Matheu and Mari respectively.

Another call for two minutes to live went out and Morooka appeared side-stage, with a tech checking his wireless microphone battery pack one last time and the host touching his in-ear monitor as it too was sound checked. The stage lights dimmed and one minute was called, with the audience going silent as the “Quiet Please” screens were flashed. Mari watched Seung Gil counting down with his fingers, Morooka watching as the lights on the cameras switched from red to green. The studio went totally dark and the screens sprang to life, the surround sound rumbling the seats as the pre-recorded cold open began.

_Footage of last week's results show group number, “This Is Me”_ **Morooka, voiceover:** Last week, our Superstars gave us spectacular performances of songs from the movies.  _Quick cuts of each of the five remaining contestants' songs from last week_ But this week, it's getting personal, as the Superstars open up about the people who are the most important to their lives.  _Footage recorded during the interview sessions, with quick cuts of each contestant with their loved ones: Victor tearing up next to his mother, Yuri hugging Mari upon seeing her for the first time, Chris and Matheu laughing about something, Phichit singing “Shall We Skate” with his parents, and Yura talking while sitting with Nikolai_ **Morooka, voiceover** Get ready for some of our most emotional and personal performances yet as the Superstars send out Dedications to their loved ones. We are down to the Top Five, and it's anyone's game to win or lose. THIS... is Superstar Grand Prix!!!”

The show-opening sequence was played then, the driving beat of “You Only Live Once” playing as the CGI graphics with the opening credits scrolled through the screens; two of them flashed to the word “Applause!!” and the crowd went crazy as the cameras went live to Morooka as he walked out, microphone in hand and waving as the music came to an end.

“Hello everyone and welcome to Superstar Grand Prix! This week is very special for a few reasons. For the first time, our contestants have loved ones in the audience who have come from far and wide to be here with them for the show. Also, we have the rest of our Top Twelve in the house!” The cameras switched to the other half of the front row on the other side of the judges' table, where all of the other contestants, including Leo who had returned as per the show's request, were sitting together to watch. “And also for the first time our contestants will have more time to sing their songs, as the edit length has now been expanded to four minutes. The competition is getting quite intense as we get down to the wire; after this week, we will be three weeks away from our finale!” The crowd burst into applause and cheers, quieting quickly at the instructions from the screens.

“All right everyone, let's get our judges out here so we can get the show started. Please welcome to the stage Minako Okukawa, Celestino Cialdini and Yakov Feltsman!” The crowd erupted into cheers once more as they judges took their customary walk out onto the stage accompanied by an instrumental version of “You Only Live Once”; as per usual Yakov headed right to the judges' table, but Minako and Celestino acknowledged some of the fans by doing a walk around the catwalk behind the stage before sitting down.

“All right, I know you've been waiting for them so here they are, our Top Five Superstars!” Morooka announced; the screen in the back obscuring the band rose and each contestant walked out individually as Morooka gave them a special introduction that felt like a bit of a refresher course on all of them.

“First up, from Moscow, Russia, is Yura Plisetsky!” Yura walked out with a wave, dressed in a black t-shirt with a tiger face, ripped jeans, tiger-print high tops and a studded black leather jacket. “At 16, Yura is the youngest member of the Top Twelve Superstars.” He headed over to the chairs as Morooka continued. “Next is Phichit Chulanont from Bangkok, Thailand! His very impressive, theatrical voice has won over the hearts of many of our viewers.” Phichit was dressed in a pair of leather jeans, high-top sneakers and a loosely-buttoned, patterned shirt with some rock star-esque jewelry. “Next we have Christophe Giacometti, from Lausanne, Switzerland! Chris is a multi-talented performer who has shown us some amazing dancing skills.” Chris was dressed down compared to some of his past performances, in jeans, black studded boots, and a simple black button-down shirt with a sparkly silver and black scarf around the back of his neck spilling over his shoulders and down over his chest.

As soon as the next figure appeared in the space between the two halves of the band riser, the room exploded even more. “And now we have from Hasetsu, Japan, Yuri Katsuki!” Yuri came out dressed in dark skinny jeans, a tight knit three-quarter sleeve sweater in black and shot through with silver Lurex, and black sneakers. “Yuri is an accomplished multi-instrumentalist with a very versatile voice.” The final silhouette caused bedlam in the studio as he walked into the spotlight. “And last but not least, from St. Petersburg, Russia, Victor Nikiforov!” Victor walked out looking every inch the rock star with ripped jeans over black cowboy boots, a flowy, rainbow tie-dyed button-down shirt open to nearly the navel, and a liberal amount of layered necklaces and jewelry. “Victor's multi-octave vocal range have given us some of our most memorable performances to date.”

Once the contestants were settled into the single row of chairs save for the first performer, and the crowd had finally quieted, Morooka continued.

“All right, let's get to our first performance of the evening. This week, our Top Five had a surprise waiting for them at our studios here in Los Angeles. For most of them, it's been quite some time since they've had a chance to connect with the people most important in their lives. Let's take a look at who was waiting for Victor.” He turned toward the screens, with the studio lights dimming as they flickered to life.

_Cut of Victor on the interview set, being told by the off-camera voice of Seung Gil that they had a surprise for him. Cut to shot of Taisia walking in and Victor rushing to hug her, with his face obscured by her head, though he can be heard crying a bit. Cut to shot of them sitting together._ **Taisia:** Life kind of caused Victor and I to lose touch for a while, not because we wanted to, but things just happened that way. But I have always kept track of what he has been doing, and I especially have been watching the show since I found out he made it through.  _Victor grins as she squeezes his hand._ **Victor:** My mother was always very supportive of whatever I wanted to do and try in my life. I wanted to be in dance but it didn't work out, so I turned to music. Even if she couldn't always be there, she always believed in me and let me know when she could.  _Shot of Taisia with her arm around Victor's shoulders as he smiles through some happy tears_ **Taisia:** I got to see him perform last week but he didn't know I was there.  _Brief shot of Taisia up in the balcony section as Victor performs his part of “This Is Me”, dabbing at her eyes and smiling. Cut back to her on set_ This week I will make a fool of myself for the world to see when I cheer for him!  _Victor breaks into laughter and they hug tightly._ **Victor, holding his mother's hand:** The song I picked this week is one I've had in mind for a while. I sing it for my mother, so I can be her voice as she finds her strength. And I sing for both of us to the person who needs to hear these words. They know who they are. That's all we want to say about that.  _Taisia gives his shoulders another squeeze and he smiles softly at her._ **Taisia:** And anyway he has to sing for me, because I wouldn't sound very good.  _They both laugh as the clip fades out. Cut to Morooka on stage._

Morooka looked into the cameras then, a subdued expression on his face and a seemingly respectful tone. “Performing 'Praying' by Kesha, here is Victor Nikiforov.”

The stage was dimly lit, with Victor standing next to the piano as Takeshi began the intro to the song. He held onto the microphone in its stand, fingers interlaced as he tapped into his husky low range to sing [the first verse of the highly emotional lyrics](https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/keha/praying.html), eyes closed and voice slowly building in volume along with the words. As he went into the bridge one hand came off the microphone, clenching into a fist for the line “I had to learn how to fight for myself”; as the cameras stayed zoomed in on his face, the screens showing what the viewers were seeing at home, his eyes opened and a piercing blue gaze caused an audible gasp for the line “and we both know all the truth I could tell/I'll just say this as I wish you farewell”. His free hand then pointed directly into the camera, following the intense gaze as his voice opened out a bit for the first line of the chorus, the tone of it feeling as if he were issuing a threat: “I hope you're somewhere praying/I hope your soul is changing”.

The studio remained hushed as he went into the second verse, closing his eyes against a rush of emotions at the line “I'm proud of who I am.” His voice continued to build, anger in the line “and you said that I was done” with the first glory note surfacing before a moment for falsetto led to a return to his belting range for “the best is yet to come”, the emotional intensity rising as he continued to sing. The notes rang out clearly across the quiet room as the choir and band began to build with his delivery of the change, reaching to grip the jeweled cross on one of the chains around his neck as he sang “some things/only God can forgive”. The audience erupted as he belted out the high note as on the original recording rather than using a falsetto, continuing to belt until the very last word where he dropped back down into an effortless soft tone, struggling to hold back a final rush of tears as the last piano note rang out and the stage faded to near black, with Victor backlit by a single spotlight, the audience seeing a silhouette before that too faded out.

The lights came up and the crowd erupted into wild screams and applause as Victor walked forward to the mark at center stage slowly, trying to discreetly blot at his eyes with the back of a hand. On some of the screens the cameras cut to a shot of Taisia in the audience, wiping away tears as she stood and cheered; the rest of the contestants' loved ones had followed suit.

Minako was dabbing at her eyes with a tissue as the cameras focused on her; she grabbed her water bottle and sipped quickly before beginning her critique. “Victor... I think this is probably the most sublime and emotional performance we've seen from you. We know you can do flashy and powerful well but this... this was another level entirely. I think this is going to be one of the performances you're remembered for to be honest. This was incredible on every level.”

“This was intense when we recorded it but live? Chills, man,” Celestino said. “We talked about your reasons for picking this song and I don't even think we really have to discuss it because you put enough out there. This vocal was a masterclass on expressing emotions and feelings and in vocal control, it doesn't get better than this.”

“This is a very powerful song and one that can speak to many situations,” Yakov said. “Music is good at bringing people together and helping them to heal, and I think we just watched you rip yourself open and heal yourself at the same time. There is no way to critique a performance like this except to say that you have done your job to perfection.”

Victor let out a sharp exhale as Yakov's critique ended his segment of the show. Morooka stepped up and commended his performance before reading off his voting information, then giving him a handshake before sending him off to the chairs.

“All right when we come back, Phichit will have some inspiring words, and we'll see a bit of a different side of Christophe, after the break. THIS... is Superstar Grand Prix!” The cameras zoomed out from Morooka, giving a wide shot of the stage before the show logo was splashed across it and the show went to break.

Victor sat down with a heavy sigh in his spot between Yuri and Chris, with both of them hugging him almost simultaneously and Phichit and Yura getting up from their chairs to Victor's right to do the same. They stayed in the huddle throughout the break, with the other contestants offering comforting words before Phichit was called away with one minute to go till live, at which the others settled back into their chairs.

“All right, we are back. Our next performer came to the US five years ago to go to performing arts school in Detroit, where he was roommates with our own Yuri Katsuki. He hadn't seen his family in that time, so we thought we'd change that. Let's see how Phichit's reunion went.” He turned to the screens as they changed from the static show logo to the footage.

 _Phichit sitting on the interview set, eyes going wide_ **Phichit:** No way! Are you serious? Oh my god!! _He jumps up to greet his parents as they come in; a few moments of them hugging, then cut to them sitting on either side of Phichit_ **Phichit:** It was always hard for them to try to get away from their jobs, but we'd always Skype and call and text each other because I'm obsessed with my phone anyway (laughs). So I always kept them in the loop about what was going on in my life. **Phichit's Mom:** We have always been very proud of his talent and we knew if he followed his dreams, he would be very successful. But we didn't expect to see him on television in front of the world so soon! (laughs) **Phichit's Dad:** Phichit has always been the one to encourage other people. He has always believed in himself, and he wants other people to feel the same way and to know that they can do anything they want to. And he's always there to listen if someone is going through a hard time. He is a good boy and we're very proud of him for being a good person above all else. His talent is just the star on top. (smiles) _Phichit tears up and reaches to pull them both into a hug_ **Phichit:** A few of the contestants have been through stuff since we all met. Whether they're already gone from the house or still in the top five, I wanted to do this for them because I wanted them to remember that no matter what, we'll always have each other's backs, because they're all like family now too. _Smiles as the segment fades out; cut to Morooka on stage._

“Performing “Aftermath” by Adam Lambert, here is Phichit Chulanont,” Morooka introduced, turning toward the stage as the cameras zoomed in. Takeshi and the lead guitarist of the band were playing acoustic guitars with Phichit sitting on a stool between them, the stage dimly lit and the trio in spotlights. He began the song in a soft, sensitive tone, shifting from his lower belting range to falsetto effortlessly as he sang the [inspirational, encouraging lyrics](https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/adamlambert/aftermath.html). The first two verses and choruses were modest in tone; as he got to the change he rose from his stool and walked out to the mark at center stage, gesturing to emphasize the lyrics “before you break you have to shed that armor/take a trip and fall into the glitter/tell a stranger that they're beautiful”; he then drew in a deeper breath as he moved into the richer part of his full belt, then soared up into a run of glory notes at the final “all you need is love” line. The guitars played quietly for a moment and then for the final chorus Phichit opened up, causing the crowd to erupt into screams and cheers as he hit powerful high notes for the line “in the aftermath”, raising a fist into the air. The final improvisations were edited slightly for time but he ended with the same falsetto “wanna scream out, no more hiding” lines as on the recorded acoustic version, after which the crowd broke into more screams and cheers.

Phichit paused to high five Takeshi and the other lead guitarist before heading over to his mark at center stage; on the screens, half showed him and half cut to his parents in the audience, standing up and cheering, and a quick flash of the other contestants to catch both Yuri and Victor brushing away a few tears as the song hit home to them both for different reasons.

“You nailed this song when we did the recordings on the first take,” Celestino noted as he began his critique. “The sensitivity you sing with completely belies your age. You sing like a seasoned professional and you really get how to use dynamics to get your point across. I'm glad you used the acoustic version of this song as well because it has a lot more impact in my opinion. Fantastic job.”

“Your tone is so pristine and clear and I swear I've never heard you put a note wrong,” Minako said. “I got chills during the verses, your voice was so soft and beautiful and it's very hard to sing low when you have a high base range like that. Beautiful, beautiful job.”

“You have a mastery of your voice that like Celestino said is quite remarkable for someone so young. I do believe you will be a great solo performer, and you will also fit perfectly in the theater. There will be many options open to you due to your versatility. Excellent performance,” Yakov concluded.

Morooka congratulated Phichit on his performance, then gave his voting information before sending him on his way and turning back to the cameras.

“Our next performer has let us into his personal life a bit with some of his song choices along the way of his journey on the show. He's no stranger to dedications, so let's meet who they've been for as we learn a bit more about the important person in Christophe's life.”

_ Chris on the interview set, watching the video message from his parents who were unable to be there, which is shown in part on screen for the viewers, then standing up and greeting Matheu who he hugs tightly, tearing up; cut to shot of them sitting together.  _ **Chris:** I've done a couple of songs along the way for Matheu, but I wasn't really able to talk about it while we were going through it. I'm honestly surprised to see him here, I totally was not expecting this.  **Matheu:** Sometimes when you are with someone every day and you see how they are all the time, you don't see the bigger picture. Our time apart and the songs he has done that I knew without him saying so were meant for me, has made me think a lot. So when I got asked if I wanted to come and see him, I decided it was time to do that. We have some things to talk about but I think we know where we are going now.  **Chris:** I wasn't going to do this song at first, but after we've discussed it a bit I chose it because even though it's a bit of a sad song, it's also one of Matheu's favorites. It reminds us of where we've been, but also that we've gotten through it and are stronger now. (turns to him and smiles)  _ Segment fades out to Morooka onstage. _

“Singing 'Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad” by Def Leppard, here is Chris Giacometti,” Morooka introduced.

The band began with Chris walking out to center stage, beginning the song with a soft, breathy tone that wasn't quite a falsetto, eyes closed, setting the tone for [the bittersweet lyrics.](https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/defleppard/haveyoueverneededsomeonesobad.html) He then began to open out into a belt for the change, then full out into the sweeping chorus, with the backing singers replicating Def Leppard's trademark harmony vocals. He subtly changed the line “you're the girl I've got to have” to “you're the one I've got to have” in the chorus before moving back into the same breathy tone for the second verse, repeating the sequence as the song built into the second chorus, where more of the band was also added in.

To keep the song within the allotted time the instrumental interlude for the bridge was cut, with Chris getting emotional for the change of the song, emphasizing the lines “and if my time don't ever come/for me you're still the one” by turning to Matheu in the front row and singing directly to him. As the cameras cut briefly to Matheu he seemed to be fighting a few tears of his own even as he smiled up at Chris onstage. Chris then varied his vocal line, singing the chorus and cutting to a few short improvisations as on the recorded version. The extended playout present on the original was cut, with the band coming to rest as Chris finished with the melancholy line, “it's a game I just can't win”, letting the final chord ring out. He stood at center stage for a few moments, holding onto the microphone stand and bowing his head to shake off a last bit of emotion before collecting himself and heading to the judging mark at stage front and center.

“Hey Chris, how did that feel up there?” Celestino said; Chris nodded but pulled in his lower lip to bite at a bit; when Celestino started a critique this way, it usually wasn't good. “I had my doubts about this song because even though it's one of Leppard's more notable ones, it's not as powerful as some of their other ballads. I feel like this song didn't really serve you very well vocally. You sang it well, but I don't know that it was the best choice for you.”

“I liked that this showed your vocal range very well, but I have to agree a bit with Celestino here,” Minako said. “It was just okay. Definitely not bad, but not spectacular either. We're used to seeing such amazing performances from you that this felt sort of subdued. I think maybe that's the biggest problem with it. I think you could have pulled off the angst of 'Love Bites' a lot better. I would have gone with that song to be honest.”

“I do think a different song would have been better,” Yakov said. “This was very understated and while it was sung very well, it is your showmanship that people look forward to. I must agree with my fellow judges here, this was just all right. I think the song was beneath your skill as a singer.”

In the audience Matheu still stood and cheered regardless, waving to catch Chris' attention then mouthing the words 'I love you', which made Chris smile even though it was with a bit of sadness. Morooka walked over, patting him on the shoulder.

“I know you said that this song means a lot to you,” Morooka pointed out. “Did it feel good to put it out there?”

Chris nodded. “It did. I know it's not my usual grand style, but the theme  _ is _ Dedications, and it was received by who it was for as it was meant to.”

“Fair enough,” Morooka agreed, then moved on to Chris' voting information before sending him on his way with a last handshake.

“When we come back we'll have our final two performances of the evening. Yuri will perform a song that's resonated with him since his childhood, and Yura will offer a new take on a smash hit by Adele, after the break. Stay tuned. THIS... is Superstar Grand Prix!” The cameras once again zoomed out from Morooka to the show logo as the cameras then switched to off-air mode.

Chris sat down in his chair with a heavy sigh, accepting a hug from Yuri before he went over to center stage to prep for his performance. “Well... that didn't go so well,” he said, worry in his tone.

“I thought you did it very well,” Victor said. “The song kind of dictates this sort of bittersweet, wistful tone and I felt the emotions came through perfectly.” He gave Chris' shoulders a squeeze as Phichit offered a pat on his arm from his chair, reaching across Yuri's currently vacant one before turning back to Yura, who seemed quite pensive.

“Man... this shit sucks. We have to watch us get chipped down to one now. When there were a lot of us it was tough but it felt easier and now... we're almost at the end,” Yura said.

Phichit sighed. “Yeah... as crazy as this experience has been and how much of our lives it's consumed... I'm starting to worry about it being over. I'm going to miss it all.”

“And miss everyone,” Yura said, which made Phichit blink in surprise; back in the beginning in Hollywood Week, Yura would never have said something of that nature openly. He was about to ask more when the call for 30 seconds to live went out and Phichit tucked it away, hoping he'd remember to talk to Yura about again later on.

“Welcome back everyone,” Morooka continued. “Our next contestant also hasn't been home to Japan in five years, as he was attending the same performing arts college as Phichit, where they were roommates. Let's find out more about Yuri's surprise and his song choice for this week.”

 _Cut to shot of Yuri being told by Seung Gil that they have a surprise for him, then to him watching a bit of the video from his parents and tearing up. As it ends Mari's entrance is shown, with the two of them hugging while Yuri cries again. Cut to them sitting together._ **Yuri:** Mari is my older sister and she's always been really protective of me. When I was growing up and doing ballet, well, that gets you some not great reactions in school and stuff. She always had my back, and so did my parents. **Mari:** Yuri always worked hard at his dancing and then later his singing and music. And in between all of that he worked in the family onsen. He and I were always a team, so it was really hard when he decided to go to school in the US. But we were very proud of him for being so brave about going. **Yuri:** When I was in my mid-teens I was obsessed with the movie _Bridge to Terabithia_. I played the soundtrack all the time and drove everyone crazy (laughs). I almost did this song for Movie Week, but it fit much better for Dedications. _Cut to Mari with her arm around Yuri's shoulders as he tears up_ **Yuri:** I've had to fight through some stuff over the years with my confidence and such, but at the end of the day I learned to be strong and get myself back up again from my family, especially Mari who always stuck up for me. And also more recently, a couple of other people have come into my life that reinforced that message for me. So this is for all of them, to let them know that no matter how far away they have been, or how much sometimes it seems like they couldn't get through to me, everything they taught me I've always carried with me. _Mari hugs him as he tears up again as the segment fades out to Morooka on stage._

“Performing 'I Learned From You' by Miley Cyrus, here is Yuri Katsuki,” Morooka introduced with a soft smile as he turned toward center stage.

The band began with Yuri standing stage center with an acoustic guitar, playing along to the lilting, waltz-timed melody line as he began the [story-like lyrics](http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/m/miley_cyrus/i_learned_from_you.html) to the song, his delivery clear and confident. There was a bit of extra emotion in his voice during the first verse, which clearly seemed to be for his family; that was confirmed as he found Mari in the audience, meeting eyes with her as he sang. He settled into the chorus, belting it out with even more confidence before heading into the second verse. He sang those lyrics with a smile, unable to hide when his eyes averted toward where the contestants were sitting periodically until on the video monitor before him embedded into the lip of the stage he could see a shot of Phichit and Victor, sitting together in the chairs and both smiling as if they seemed to know what was up.

Yuri's voice filled more with emotion, his eyes getting a bit sparkly with possible tears as he sang the lines “You helped me to stand on my own and I thank you for that/You saved me, it made me” in the change; as the song went into the final sweeping chorus he opened his voice out with a powerful belt for the line “I learned from you that I do not crumble/I learned that strength is something you choose”, the tears he'd tried to hold back finally spilling down his cheeks. His voice carried over the studio, a bit of a tremble in it as the emotions infused it the rest of the way; he let the final note and chord ring out before stepping back from the microphone and turning away from the audience for a moment to bury his face in his hand to collect himself. Takeshi walked forward and gave him a pat on the shoulder which made him smile; the pause for the guitar tech to collect his acoustic was enough to compose himself before he walked to center stage, only then realizing the crowd had been cheering wildly for him nonstop until the “Quiet Please” screens went up. When he looked down at the judges he saw Minako standing and applauding, looking misty-eyed for a few moments before she sat down.

“You have always chosen great songs that mean something to you in some way,” Yakov began. “But this song I think is one that has fit you the best. You are best at straightforward vocals with interesting melody lines where you can focus not only on your voice, but on the emotions a song needs to be put forth well. This performance makes you relatable along with being very well done. Excellent job.”

“I never thought I'd hear Miley Cyrus and Yuri Katsuki in the same breath,” Celestino laughed, “but this really worked for you. Your voice sounded great and effortless and the emotions you put out there with this really capped it off well. Nice performance.”

“I think people sometimes don't give songs a chance because of the performer's name,” Minako pointed out, giving Celestino a sideways glance. “But this song really has a positive message and you used your life experience to tap into that and the emotions of it. You sounded great and I always love to see you playing guitar because it's when you're most at home. Great song choice and great performance.”

Morooka came over then to commend Yuri's performance and shake his hand before reciting his voting information and sending him on his way; he then turned to the cameras for the last introduction of the night.

“Our final performer this evening has had the most important person in his life close by during his journey. Let's learn a little more about that from Yura.”

 _Cut to Yura watching the message from his mother; only a brief shot of him smiling at the very beginning is used before they move on to him sitting with Nikolai._ **Nikolai:** Yura's mother has always been a working performer, which meant she was away a lot of the time. So Yura's grandmother and I raised him for the most part, and his mother came home when she could. **Yura:** When my mom was home she would help me with voice lessons and with my guitar as well. I think the biggest thing I got from her was a love of music, because I've known as long as I can remember that I wanted to be a singer and musician. _Footage of Yura recording this week's song in the studio with Nikolai looking on_ **Yura, voiceover:** Grandpa always supported me doing what I wanted to do and what I loved most. He bought my first guitar and a karaoke machine for me to sing into and record myself. He took me to my lessons and was always there for the talent shows and the crazy stuff I'd get into to try to break into music. He drove me to the Superstar auditions too, and then came all the way around the world when they told me I needed an adult with me. _Cut back to the pair on the interview set_ **Yura:** He's been the biggest support in my life and when I'm a big star I'll take care of him in return. _Nikolai smiles and hugs him_ **Yura:** Sometimes there are people in your life that aren't there for the important things even though you want them to be. If you don't get that out, you kind of sit on it and it makes you angry. So this is for that person, I think they'll guess who they are. Because I'm doing just fine. _Fade to Morooka at the judges' table._

“With a cover of Adele's “Hello” as performed by Fame on Fire, here is Yura Plisetsky,” Morooka introduced.

The cameras zoomed in as the band began with a few power chords before quieting down for the first verse, with Yura gripping the microphone, eyes closed as he sang [the usually melancholy lyrics](https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/adele/hello.html) that came out as far more angsty with the arrangement he'd chosen. The anger was palpable in his tone as he sang the lines “they say time's supposed to heal you/but I ain't done much healing”, only growing stronger as he continued on to finish the verse. When the first chorus came up he almost began to scream it, quickly dialing his emotions back to sing properly – something he wouldn't have done even as recently as the first few weeks of competition. The short pause before the second verse was enough for him to regroup and as he stalked across the stage, the guitars adding more of anger to the tone he sang with one fist clenched, moving from his belting range to falsetto notes where needed in the chorus. The vitriol in the lines of the chorus “When I call you never seem to be home” and “But it don't matter it clearly doesn't tear you apart anymore” and the anger in his eyes as his image flashed on the screen even made Victor's eyebrows raise in concern.

The interlude with the repeated “anymore” refrain was edited for time with the song then going into one last shortened reprise of the chorus; instead of ending on a glory note Yura ended the song with a softly-sung “any more”. As the lights faded out he whirled around, his back to the audience as he buried his face in his hands for a few moments to contain the rush of tears. Takeshi stepped forward to check on him, giving him a pat on the back and some encouraging words which were enough to help Yura calm down, scrubbing at his eyes with the back of a hand before turning around and walking to the mark at center stage.

“Hey buddy you okay there?” Celestino asked, concern in his tone; Yura nodded but didn't speak into the mic. “Well, when I saw you were doing this song I wasn't really sure how it was going to go over, but then I heard this arrangement and I was convinced when you recorded it. It comes across live even better. You've gained so much control in your voice and you really know how to put emotions out there now. This was a really unique take on this song and a really great performance.”

“Clearly this is a song that resonates deeply with you,” Minako asserted. “The thing about your performance that stood out to me was that point where you started to get a bit out of control vocally, and you pulled it back in. That to me was the most impressive because with just that little bit it shows how much you've grown. When we first met you you would have just kept scream-singing that but you've learned the value of controlling your delivery. Really really great choice for arrangement and great job on this.”

“I think this performance was on par with Victor's at the beginning of the show,” Yakov said, which made Yura's eyes go wide and evoked a cheer from the crowd. “There is something about this song that brought out the old soul within you. The same vocal control and same mood was portrayed and in my eyes the two of you were equals tonight. This tells me Yura that you have grown an incredible amount in a very short time, and that you may also be peaking at the perfect time in this competition.”

Yura was still blinking in surprise at Yakov's ending critique as Morooka came over, commending him for his performance then turning to give his voting information. He then called the contestants forward as the recap video was played, during which Seung Gil, Yuuto and Satoko went down and led the contestants' loved ones up to join them on the stage. Mari ran to Yuri and hugged him tightly, as did Phichit's parents; Matheu kissed Christophe's cheek as they embraced, saying something to Chris that made him laugh out loud; Yura hugged tightly to Nikolai and Victor was crushed into an embrace by Taisia, who nearly knocked him over with her exuberance and pride as she left a big lipstick print on his cheek, which made everyone on stage laugh as they assembled in a row behind Morooka.

“Well it's been quite an emotional evening with some really spectacular performances,” Morooka said as he turned to address them all. “How's everyone doing back here?” The contestants and their loved ones all cheered, even Yura who was already feeling better after the release of emotions had subsided.

“Well folks that's our show for tonight,” Morooka continued. “For some behind the scenes extras from this week, head on over to the Special Features section of the Superstar Grand Prix website. And now moving on: Tomorrow night's results show is going to be even more special as we will have a live performance from our very own judge, the one and only Ms. Minako Okukawa! You're not going to want to miss this one!” The contestants, who had been unaware of the performer for the following night, all cheered, with Yuri and Mari the most excited. “Be sure to join us, or set those DVRs! On behalf of our judges and contestants, have a great night everyone. Morooka – out!”

  
  


  
  


**Special Website Extra Content – Funny Moments With the Superstars**

**With Family and Friends:**

** Victor and Taisia, talking in Russian with English subtitles on screen:  ** _ Taisia _ : Remember that time you wanted to wear a dress to the school formal?  _ Victor _ : Mama! No! Don't tell people that! (covers face)  _ Taisia (looks at camera with a wink) _ I'm fibbing, that didn't happen.  _ Victor, mock distress:  _ Whyyyyy are you so mean to me, I'm sending you back to Russia! (entire room breaks into laughter as Taisia hugs him)

** Yuri and Mari, speaking in Japanese with English subtitles:  ** _ Mari:  _ Yuri is obsessed with katsudon. He would probably be as big as a house if he could eat it every day.  _ Yuri:  _ I don't deny that, I own up to that fully.  _ Mari:  _ How many times have you had it since you've been here?  _ Yuri, confused:  _ You mean since I've been in the US?  _ Mari:  _ I don't think I want to know that number. It would be too scary. I'm surprised you don't look like a bowl of it.  _ Yuri, looks at camera while pointing to Mari, switching to English _ : You brought her all the way here so she can harass me. Thanks a lot guys (room breaks into laughter as he grins and she shoves him playfully)

** Yura and Nikolai sitting together; video cuts in just after something happens:  ** _ Yura, frowning with a mortified face _ : Grandpa! That's gross!  _ Nikolai:  _ Excuse me, breakfast didn't sit very well today, I ate too much good food.  _ Yura gets up and leaves the set; his voice still comes through on the microphone:  _ Now I know why they say “old fart” in America! (laughter on the set)

** Chris, sitting with Matthew, one leg up and hooked around the back of his neck:  ** _ Matheu:  _ He's extremely flexible. He can use himself as a pole.  _ Chris:  _ I'm feeling a little stiff today. (puts leg down, does the same with the other as Matheu laughs)  _ Matheu:  _ Can't that wait? You're doing an interview (still laughing)  _ Chris:  _ It's okay, they know me here. When I get bored I entertain everyone along with myself.  _ Matheu (listening to Seung Gil confirm this off camera; laughs)  _ This is my life now, waiting for you to pull something and be stuck this way. (puts hand to forehead in mock distress, room breaks into laughter)

** Phichit: ** singing “Shall We Skate” with his parents, who are being just as extra as he is, cracking up the entire crew for duration of his segment; the entire bit is just the three of them, arms around each other, singing at the top of their lungs in harmony as they sway back and forth. When they finish the crew burst into applause and cheers.

** Victor:  ** Taisia tells a story about a poem she made up, that she and Victor used to say together when he was nervous about something as a child, because it would calm him down. At the request of the crew he starts reciting it in Russian as his mother looks on, talking faster and faster; she starts to interject at regular intervals until finally Victor stumbles and says the wrong thing, yelling “FUCK!” (which is bleeped out); a second later he turns red, goes wide-eyed, covers his mouth and flops over out of the frame, laughing hysterically as his mother loses it while yelling “I won! I won! I got you again!”

** Yuri:  ** Mari begins to tell a story about Yuri's going away party, when he got drunk on too much champagne and started dancing on tables with his father. Yuri takes a pillow from the loveseat and pretends to suffocate her; she fake screams dramatically as they fall out of the frame.

**From dress rehearsal for Dedication Week performances:**

** Yura and Victor ** playing music from Yura's phone into the microphone; with both singing along to a [death metal screamo version of “Mary Had A Little Lamb”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rjC2TxtDTg); everyone is hysterically laughing, including both of them as they are unable to finish.

** Victor and Yuri ** on the stage set between songs. Victor wraps his arms around Yuri from behind as he stands with his guitar; Victor puts chin on his shoulder and says, within the range of the microphone so everyone can hear: Seduce me with all that you have, my sexy katsudon. Yuri gasps and goes wide-eyed, turns around and chases after Victor as he takes off running while everyone dies laughing.

** Chris ** randomly dancing to music he's humming in the middle of the stage as he waits for the crew to be ready; notices the camera and turns around, drops his pants and twerks in his thong into the camera, evoking screamlaughs from the crew. Victor runs over and jumps into the frame, arms and legs splayed out to cover him with a terrified/mortified face, then lets out a high-pitched fake scream of terror.

** Phichit ** dozing on the side of the stage, with Yuri sneaking up on him. The camera focuses on Phichit, then gets really close before Yuri screams WAKE UP!!!! at Phichit, who promptly jumps straight up, falls off the riser and out of the frame; a second later Yuri has fallen over next to him, both laughing hysterically as Phichit calls Yuri an asshole (which is bleeped out).

**All five contestants** as the crew calls it a wrap for the day. Phichit counts off and the five of them break into [the Van Halen arrangement of "Happy Trails" a capella](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwYcsMiB2UM), with Victor singing David Lee Roth's parts, including the “bum ba dee das”, and a flourish of jazz hands at the end. The crew erupts into laughter, applause and cheers as the Superstars take an exaggerated bow and head offstage. 

_Fade to black._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was pretty heavy, so I figured a little lightening up at the end wouldn't hurt. :)
> 
> Victor's parts of "This Is Me" were inspired by [2014 Eurovision winner Conchita's performance](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDhVzdPtUaQ) of it during Germany's New Year's Eve concert this past January. Her voice is more or less how I picture Victor's, though Victor has more in the lower range as well. Also, I've had this chapter and the songs planned out for a few weeks, but it just so happened to coincide with Kesha's [amazing performance of "Praying"](https://youtu.be/rWjsyZ7xq8o?t=2m24s) at the Grammys last night; this was the emotion I tried to portray in Victor's performance as well, as he sang for his mother and what he watched her go through growing up.
> 
> Up until now I've done my best to not create original characters for this fic, but in Victor's case it felt right to do so for his mother Taisia. Before I began writing fan fiction with my previous YOI works, I had only ever written for my own worlds and characters. So it felt good to stretch a little bit, especially since as of right now anyway, Victor's backstory is more or less up for interpretation.
> 
> As per usual the [fic playlist](https://open.spotify.com/user/fallbackintome/playlist/0jJjh4a3fv5oXd7iSJMhSH?si=f0hAuXYWTDGib2DxrZHyCQ) has been updated. Feel free to share this work with anyone you think may enjoy it! I am at @AslanKatsuki on Twitter and attempting to get back to life over on Tumblr at HuntressFirefall. And thank you x10000 for all of your comments and kudos, and for taking the time to read this monster. Every bit of feedback is appreciated, and I do pay attention to things people mention as well. Your impressions of how things are portrayed help me to improve, and what I need to do to make things clearer or read better if need be. So thank you very much for that too <3
> 
> See you next chapter! :D


	15. Results - Week Eight and Live Shows - Week Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Not even going to lie... I've been waiting a long time for this,” Victor said softly.

**Superstar Grand Prix Twitter Account -**

**Immediately After Top 7 Results Show (Two Weeks Prior to Dedications Week)**

**@SstarGPOfficial** Do YOU have a song you'd like your favorite #Superstar to sing? Head on over to superstargrandprix.com and nominate a song from the list, one for each contestant! The Top Four will choose their song from the top three picks! VOTE NOW! #SuperstarGPFanVote

**@SstarGPOfficial** Do YOU have a song you'd like to see as a Superstar Duet? Head on over to superstargrandprix.com and nominate a song from the list! The two songs with the most votes will be used for Top Four Week! VOTE NOW! #SuperstarGPFanVote

**@SstarGPOfficial** Do YOU have a song you'd like to see as a Superstar Group Number? Head on over to superstargrandprix.com and nominate a song from the list! The song with the most votes will be used for the Top Four Results Show! VOTE NOW! #SuperstarGPFanVote

  
  


  
  


**Morning of Results Show – Superstar Mansion**

“Everything okay? I haven't seen you out here in a while.”

Yuri had noticed that Victor had left the table right after breakfast, which was something that hadn't been happening ever since his mother had arrived. But today the Russian was in his usual pre-results show morning place, sipping on his tea (Yuri still didn't understand the whole Russian thing of putting jam in their tea, but whatever) and seeming unusually quiet.

“I'm fine... just thinking,” Victor said. “It's been a pretty crazy week hasn't it?”

Yuri sat down with his own matcha tea, pulling his chair close to Victor's. “Yeah... probably the craziest since we've been here. The whole bringing in the relatives thing was nuts. A nice surprise but... well for you I can only imagine. We haven't had a minute to really talk about it, now that I think about it. How is your mom doing?”

Victor sighed then, pausing to finish his tea. “She's much better off now that she's free, and that the divorce is final. She hasn't really told me a lot about what happened with that, just that it was quite difficult even though she had a clear cut reason for getting out that opened the door. I honestly can only imagine. I have a feeling she probably doesn't want to tell me about it now, while the competition is still going on. I was already emotional just from the bits she did tell me.”

“Well there's that, at least,” Yuri said. “She seems pretty badass actually. I... kind of didn't picture her the way she turned out to be at all,” he laughed softly.

“I know, I'm sure everyone pictured her quite differently all things considered,” Victor said with a soft laugh. “I sort of expected her to be a bit more worn down too, from what I knew of my father to be like. But my mother's always been a proud woman and always held a quiet strength. If this opportunity to get out hadn't come, she'd have still found a way.”

“So what's on your mind then?” Yuri asked, concern in his tone.

“I guess I'm already thinking ahead, to what will happen once the show is over. She'll likely have to go back to Russia... but I'm not sure she wants to. I'm not sure I want to either, to be honest. At one time I never thought I'd leave but now... I'd seen some of the world, but I always wanted to go back because it was all I had. Now... there's other people, other reasons to maybe start over somehow, for her and I both.”

“That seems like a lot to worry about right now,” Yuri said. “Don't forget we have the tour, which they keep adding dates to in all our respective countries. We're going to be living on buses and airplanes for quite a while. And whoever ends up in the top two will have the recording contracts, and I'm sure they'll have to come back to LA to record.”

Victor brought a hand to his face, index finger pressing to one side of his lips pensively. “True. I still want to look after Mama though. I'm hoping he'll leave her alone... but I'll be worried about her while I'm off traveling the world.”

Yuri wrapped an arm over Victor's shoulders, giving them a reassuring squeeze. “Things have a way of working out. Your mom's a tough cookie, I think she'll be fine while you're gone. You're starting to sound like me with the worrying stuff, and you don't want that.”

Yuri's playful tone brought a smile to Victor's lips; he turned to face the other man, leaning in to rest his forehead against Yuri's and smiling again when Yuri blinked in surprise, though didn't pull away. “Maybe I do want that... and all that comes with it.”

It took Yuri a moment to realize what Victor was saying; a moment later Victor was laughing softly again as Yuri's face flushed bright red. “Victor... I...” His voice was stilled by Victor laying his index finger over Yuri's lips.

“One of the first things Mama asked me about was you,” he said. “It made me realize that neither of us have been very honest with each other. So I'm just going to say it. I think it's pretty obvious that I really like you... things have been too crazy to really explore that, I know. And I don't know what my feelings are right now with any certainty other than that. But at least putting that out there is better than dancing around it any more.”

“She... asked about me? I... didn't think we were that obvious...” Yuri was still bright red; he reached for his teacup and finished the moderately warm drink in one nervous gulp.

“I don't think anyone who's seen us interact in front of the world hasn't noticed,” Victor teased. “But... yeah, she did. And I told her the same thing... that I didn't know what was happening yet.”

“I... I mean... I...” Yuri's heart felt like it was going to burst out of his chest for pounding so hard. Somehow, within all the insanity of the show, the huge crush he'd had on Victor had sort of been buried, replaced by their comfortable interactions with each other. But now, hearing Victor say these words out loud...

“You don't have to say anything,” Victor said softly. “I know things are complicated and crazy right now.”

“No! I mean... I... you already knew about me having known about you from your YouTube channel... I... didn't just watch for the music. I kind of freaked out when I saw you'd gotten through to Hollywood. I... guess maybe I thought you could tell... I'm not really good with putting stuff into words a lot of the time but...” Yuri felt the emotions welling up within him then and decided to follow though, wrapping his arms around Victor and pulling in close, burying his face in his shoulder; Victor folded Yuri into his arms in response, squeezing him back reassuringly. “You've had my back from as far back as the Troubadour... I hope you'll keep taking care of me...”

“That sounds like a marriage proposal,” Victor teased as he drew back gently, taking one of Yuri's hands and kissing the back of it softly. “But you've been there for me too. So let's be there for each other, for as long as this crazy ride lasts.” He then gathered Yuri into his arms again, with Yuri returning the embrace.

“Sounds good to me,” Yuri said, nuzzling into Victor's shoulder.

“If that's the case, I hope it never ends,” Victor said, squeezing him again.

It took everything Yuri had to not let the tears that welled up in his eyes fall; he blinked them back hard as he tightened his arms around Victor. “Me too,” he replied.

  
  


  
  


**Results Show, Dedications Week – Dress Rehearsal**

“Oh my goooood I will be so glad when this week is over so I can stop _crying!!”_

Victor was working on composing himself after the second runthrough of the group number for the week, which featured Phichit, Yuri and Victor playing acoustic guitars and all members of the Top Five sitting on stools at stage center, with the band backing them up from behind. The song was absolutely perfect and especially poignant, and at various times during the week's rehearsals they'd all taken turns tearing up. They'd all chosen the verse that meant the most to them and as such, the full on-stage rehearsals with the sound mix and band just made the song that much more emotional.

Takeshi came out with a box of tissues, presenting it to Victor with a flourished bow which made everyone crack up that much more. “But seriously guys, I don't know how anyone will keep it together for this. You sound goddamn amazing. I think this is my favorite group number so far just because we get to see you all being musical. I still think Chris and Yura should just grab their guitars too. Have you guys practiced this?”

“Yeah, Chris and I were playing with everyone at first and then we decided to cut it back,” Yura said. “It felt like overkill.”

Chris nodded. “Yura and I have played guitar the least of everyone here on stage. I'm content with just singing. I think it makes more of an impact with the three of them.”

Takeshi nodded. “All right, we'll keep this as it is then. But seriously, amazing job guys I'm loving this. I know they had the band do a track for it, did it end up getting recorded?”

“Yes, Yakov really loved it when we were playing it in rehearsals on recording day so he pulled us in and had us do our parts,” Yuri said. “We all agreed on a charity it will go to, they'll announce it tonight.”

“Perfect,” Takeshi said. Just then, he noticed Yuri suddenly distracted by someone behind him, off on the left side of the stage, his eyes going wide.

“Oh my god... _Yuko???”_ Yuri dropped down off the wooden stool, setting his guitar down as carefully as his excited state allowed him to and half-ran to the Japanese woman hurrying to him just as urgently, the two hugging tightly and laughing.

“Hold up, you two know each other?” Takeshi said. “I mean, she's from Hasetsu, so...”

“Yes!” Yuri grinned. “We were in the same dance classes. I was in her level because I was an advanced student. I haven't seen her since I left to go to college!”

“Holy shit, what a small-ass world!” Yura said. “That's fucking crazy.”

“I had been dying ever since I saw your audition,” Yuko said. “I knew I'd be coming back to LA before the show was over so I just kept quiet because I wanted to surprise you.”

“Are you still dancing?” Yuri asked.

“No... well, not ballet anyway. After I snapped my Achilles tendon right before you left, I couldn't get back into it. It's too physically painful. I've been doing some modern dance and a few freelance jobs here and there. I teach basic classes though, in between taking care of our kids.”

“Kids?” Yuri smiled. “Wow, a lot sure has changed since I've been away.”

Yuko pulled out her phone and showed Yuri photos of three children about five years old. “Yes, triplets, all girls. They're a handful, but we love them. I just got back from visiting Hasetsu with them a couple of days ago. We live out here now because Takeshi always has steady work, and I only need to work a couple of days a week. It's worked out really well. They're at pre-school right now and we have help with them when we're working.”

Yuri grinned, hugging her again. “I'm sad you had to give up ballet, I know how much you loved it... but I'm so happy for you.”

Yuko returned the hug with a grin. “You know, in a way I think it's all worked out for the best.” She smiled over at Takeshi at that. “I'm so happy for you too! Hasetsu is going crazy, everyone is so proud of you Yuri. I can't wait to see how far you go.” She leaned in then to murmur in his ear “I think you're going to win.”

Yuri gasped in mock astonishment. “Don't let the others hear you say that!!” he laughed as they untangled from the embrace. “We'll have to catch up though, whenever I have time again. They keep me pretty busy here.”

“I'll be around a bit, I help with the dancers they use for the celebrity performances. In fact I'm working with Minako for tonight. We'll have time here and there. I better get off the stage now though before the music director yells at me.” She winked at Takeshi, who laughed in response.

“We're almost done, I think these guys have sobbed enough for one afternoon. They'll need to save something for tonight,” Takeshi grinned. After he took a moment to properly introduce Yuko to the rest of the contestants, he walked off to the side with her to chat a bit, calling an end to the runthroughs.

“Just when I think there are no more surprises anyone can pull on us this week,” Yuri said as everyone settled into the green room to “hurry up and wait” for the show. “That was a blast from the past.”

“Was that your girlfriend?” Victor asked, seemingly out of nowhere as he came over to the craft services table, where Yuri was getting his usual pre-show snack of onigiri.

“Yuko?” Yuri blinked in surprise. “Well... I had a crush on her in our teen years. She's two years older than me. But that was all it ever ended up being. I really thought she was going to be a famous ballerina, she was a really great dancer. I'm kind of sad that she had to give it up. We lost touch after I moved because I was so busy. Besides, she's married now and obviously very happy.” He paused then and looked up at Victor, who had become quiet as he spooned some fruit salad into a bowl.

“Are you... _jealous?_ ” Yuri smirked, which turned into a laugh as Victor's face flushed bright red.

“No! Of course not! I was just curious,” Victor stammered.

“You are! Oh my god. No, trust me... I haven't seen her in five years, and in that time I really didn't think about her much. I kind of ignored everything... it helped me to cope with missing home. Although it does explain why we lost touch because obviously her life changed a lot more than mine did. If it had been meant to be, we probably would have been dating when we knew each other and who knows... maybe I'd have never left Japan. But it is what it is you know? We've both obviously moved on.”

Victor grabbed a bottle of water from the cooler with a nod; he was about to turn and walk away when Yuri reached out and grabbed Victor's forearm gently.

“I'm serious,” he said, locking brown eyes with blue. “She's not an issue. Don't get weird on me now after the talk we had this morning.”

Something in Victor's expression softened then; perhaps it was seeing Yuri's uncharacteristic firm reaction. “Okay,” he nodded. “It's fine... I just had a moment, is all. I'm kind of new at this whole liking someone thing when it's like... actually returned.”

“Me too,” Yuri said as they walked back to the table. “We'll figure it out together. But the first thing we have to do is trust each other.”

“I know. I'm sorry,” Victor said as they sat down; the room was empty other than he and Yuri, with Yura, Chris and Phichit having gone into the practice room to work a bit more on their backing harmony vocals for the group song.

“We're both going to stumble. We just have to be honest, from here on,” Yuri said. “We'll get the hang of it. We're not even like... official yet. If we were a Facebook status, I think it would be 'It's Complicated'.”

Victor broke into laughter at that. “I think that's spot on,” he agreed. “Complicated, but not impossible.”

“Exactly,” Yuri smiled. “Definitely not impossible.”

  
  


  
  


_Going to Morooka cold open in 5... 4... 3... 2... 1!_

The stage was dark save for the spotlights illuminating Morooka as he began his opening monologue.

“Last night, our Superstars performed some of the most emotional songs they've done thus far, with the support of the people they hold most dear. But tonight, unfortunately one of them must still go home. We'll have your _shocking_ results, as well as a very special performance from our very own Minako Okukawa and an equally emotional group performance you won't want to miss. THIS... is Superstar Grand Prix!” _Cut to main title music intro montage._

Behind the screen the Superstars were getting settled onto the wooden stools with their guitars as they listened to Morooka's monologue. He'd used the world “shocking” to describe the results when Mila had been voted off, and the five contestants all looked to each other with a bit of apprehension in their eyes as they waited for Morooka to finish his introduction of the judges, at which they came out with their usual musical accompaniment.

“This week our theme was Dedications,” Morooka continued once the judges were seated. “And our Superstars have one more song that they're going to do for those loved ones that are in the audience tonight.” The cameras panned over the front row, where the relatives of the remaining contestants were once again seated along with Lilia and Emil, their images being shown on a few of the video screens. “Performing Ronan Keating's version of 'I Hope You Dance', here are Christophe, Yuri, Yura, Phichit and Victor.”

The screen rose rapidly as Victor began to play his acoustic with a quiet keyboard accompaniment as Chris began the first verse, followed by Yura; the pair then harmonized on the hook line, with the other contestants adding backup vocals:

**Chris:**  
I hope you never lose your sense of wonder  
You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger  
May you never take one single breath for granted  
God forbid love ever leave you empty-handed  


**Yura:**  
I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean  
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens  
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance  
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance  
I hope you dance, I hope you dance

The song then went back to the verses, with Yuri and Phichit taking the next two as they both played their acoustic guitars:

**Yuri:**  
I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance  
Never settle for the path of least resistance  
Livin' might mean takin' chances but they're worth takin'  
Lovin' might be a mistake, but it's worth makin'  


**Phichit (with Yuri harmony):**  
Don't let some hell-bent heart leave you bitter  
When you come close to sellin' out reconsider  
Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance  
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance  
I hope you dance

As Phichit and Yuri both sang the hook line in dual harmony, Chris, Yura and Victor sang the background lyrics in three-part harmony:

**Chris, Yura, Victor:**  
Time is a wheel in constant motion always rolling us along  
Tell me who wants to look back on their years and wonder where those years have gone

The music quieted then, with Yuri playing the guitar as Victor sang his verse, finding Taisia in the audience and then finding himself having a hard time keeping himself composed as the lyrics hit even harder with her in front of him:

**Victor:**  
I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean  
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens  
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance  
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance...  
Dance, I hope you dance

The full chorus with the two sets of vocals was then reprised, this time with Yuri, Phichit and Yura singing the three-part harmony and Chris and Victor singing in dual harmony. The combination stayed as such through the end of the song, with the three guitarists ending with a sweeping downstroke, the chord ringing out as the band also came to rest. Victor quickly scrubbed at his eyes with the heel of his hand and Yuri composed himself as well as the cameras panned over the crowd and the contestants' family members, many of whom were also wiping away tears even as they applauded and cheered.

Morooka came up to stage center then, at first facing the Superstars. “Fantastic performance everyone, really really gorgeous.” He then turned to the cameras. “The performance you just saw, as well as a studio-recorded track, will be available in an exclusive bundle only from the Superstar Grand Prix website immediately after the show. One hundred percent of the proceeds from the sale of this digital single bundle will be donated to the Downtown Women's Center in Los Angeles, as chosen by our contestants.” There were cheers and applause of approval as the screen began to lower down in front of the contestants. “We will get back to our Superstars and our results in a bit. But when we return, we will have a very special performance from our very own judge Minako Okukawa, who is debuting her brand new single tonight! Stay tuned, you won't want to miss this!”

The music that played out to commercial was cued and the show then went to break. Behind the screens the contestants had already vacated their stools and given their guitars to the techs, getting out of the way as the stage was prepared for Minako's performance. Thankfully the Superstars were not as emotional this time as they had been for the prior week's performance, and as such they headed to their chairs, sitting down in the same order as the night before: Yura, Phichit, Yuri, Victor and Chris.

Yuri gave Victor's back a small rub as they settled in. “You all right there?” he asked.

Victor nodded. “Yeah, I'm okay now... I about lost it when Mama started crying when I was singing to her though. Note to self: Don't look at family members when you are performing!” he laughed.

“I've never heard that song before,” Yura said, unusually subdued. “It's nice.”

“It's a country song that was originally by Lee Ann Womack,” Yuri said. “I think they used the version they did because hers was too high for us and the arrangement worked a bit better. I've heard it a lot on the radio here over the years, it was a pretty big hit for her. It's always hit me pretty hard, the lyrics are so on point.”

“Definitely,” Phichit nodded. “It really was a perfect choice for this week even if it left us all a mess!” Everyone laughed in response as 30 seconds to live was called.

“All right everyone we are back. Our next performer is no stranger to the life of a Superstar, as she's been one since she was in her teens. She started out as a huge pop star in her native Japan, and has since gone on to become one of the most recognizable pop stars in the world. She's done everything from Broadway to the big screen, and we're proud to say she's been one of the judges and mentors to our own Superstars. Please welcome to the stage, Ms. Minako Okukawa!!”

For Yuri on the stage, and Mari in the audience, seeing Minako in person was a big deal as she was one of the biggest stars to come from their native city of Hasetsu. But even though they were fully aware of the performance side of Minako, seeing her strut out in a black leather outfit, in sky-high chunky dance heel boots with her dancers still felt like a total 180 from the Minako that Yuri especially had gotten to know over the last few months. She commanded the stage from the moment she began to sing, the song a mix of an early-90s Paula Abdul-esque vocal with a mix of rock and dance-pop. Yuri was also surprised to see Yuko as one of her backing dancers, then remembered that it had always been one of her dreams; they'd joked about it back in the day that Yuko was wasting her time with ballet when she really wanted to be a J-Pop dancer. When not en pointe Yuko still seemed very adept, the steps nowhere near as hard as ballet would have been on her now-healed leg.

As the high-energy song with its very flashy presentation came to an end the crowd went absolutely insane, with Minako grinning from behind the headset microphone she was wearing. Having heard the scripted banter in dress rehearsal from Morooka's stand in, the contestants were prepared for what was next.

“So, let's play a little fair here,” Morooka grinned. He then turned Minako toward the contestants. “Superstars, what did you think of Minako's performance?”

On a count of three, with none of them able to suppress the laughter that spilled out, the five of them gave an in-unison thumbs-down, at which Minako burst into laughter herself; they then switched it to five thumbs up, then all stood up and applauded before doing the “we're not worthy” bow for a moment before sitting back down, with all five and Minako still laughing.

“All right, that was pretty unanimous!” Morooka said, also having not been in on the joke but still quite highly amused. “When we come back, we'll get down to business with the results... and perhaps Minako will get some revenge!” She broke into laughter again as they sent the show to break with a clip of the video for the song that she'd just performed.

“Well... here we go,” Phichit said when the show was coming back in from break what seemed like a moment later. “Good luck everyone.” They all exchanged glances and nodded grimly as the reality of what was about to play out set in; it was definitely getting harder every week, especially with their families present.

“And now, let's get down to business,” Morooka said. “May I have all five contestants to center stage please?”

They rose in unison, heading over to the marks. With an initiation from Chris, they all decided to lock hands with each other. Morooka stood to their right, next to Yura.

“Chris, you performed “Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad” by Def Leppard. Celestino said he felt the song didn't really serve you well vocally. Minako said it was just okay. And Yakov said a different song would have been better. The viewers have voted... and... you are in the bottom. Please step to the left.” Chris separated from the others, with the remaining contestants moving to the right, leaving a space between him and them.

“Victor, you sang “Praying” by Kesha. Minako said it was on another level entirely. Celestino said your vocal was a masterclass. And Yakov said you have done your job to perfection. Our viewers have spoken and Victor... you are safe. Head on back to the chairs.” Victor nodded, saying 'thank you' into the cameras and giving Chris a pat on the shoulder as he passed him on his way off center stage.

“Yuri, you sang “I Learned From You” by Miley Cyrus. Yakov said it was one of the songs that have fit you the best. Celestino said the song really worked for you. And Minako said it was a great song choice and performance. Yuri... you... are in the bottom tonight.” There were angry shouts and boos from the audience; in the front row Mari covered her face with her hands as Taisia, who had sat on the other side of her, frowned angrily, her expression matching Lilia's and Emil's as well.

“Phichit, you sang “Aftermath” by Adam Lambert. Celestino said you sound like a seasoned professional. Minako said she's never heard you put a note wrong. And Yakov said you have a remarkable mastery of your voice. Our viewers have spoken and you... are safe. Head on over to the chairs my friend.” Phichit bit his lip as he looked over at Yuri, also pausing to give Chris a quick hug before heading over to join Victor at the chairs. At Phichit's worried expression, Victor wrapped an arm around his shoulder.

“Yura, you sang the Fame On Fire arrangement of “Hello” by Adele. Celestino said it was a unique take on the song and a great performance. Minako said you've learned the value of controlling your voice. And Yakov said your performance was on par with Victor's.” Morooka paused for a few long seconds then, the pulsing, low-volume, anxiety-inducing music the only sound in the room. “Yura... I'm sorry but you are also in the bottom tonight.” The crowd erupted into even more angry shouts and screams mixed with liberal booing; Yura's face darkened in a mix of anger and concern as his fellow contestants all wore shocked expressions.

“Who will be safe, and who will be sent home? We'll find out... after the break.” As the show went to break, Chris and Yura both wrapped their arms around Yuri's shoulders as he circled both of them with his.

“I think this is it for me,” Yuri said, trying to take deep breaths and keep calm. “There's no way either of you are going, you were both great.”

“Bullshit,” Yura said. “I think they're fucking with us, there's no way you didn't kick ass last night.”

“I was the only one that they didn't seem to like,” Chris said. “I don't think either of you have anything to worry about. I think they're just playing dramatic because this is really the last time they can get away with a bottom three.”

Yuri decided to hazard a glance over to the judges' table; all three seemed rather annoyed with how things were transpiring as the show returned from break. He felt his heart pounding and stomach clenching as Morooka walked back over.

“All right we are back with our results,” he began. “I'm going to send one of you back to safety right now. And that is...” Again, another agonizing five-second pause that felt more like an hour. “Yuri, you are safe. Head on back to the chairs.”

Yuri paused then, looking to both of his fellow contestants and giving them a squeeze with the arms that were still wrapped around them. “Now now, no sad faces,” Chris said. “Go, go.” Yuri finally stepped back and headed over to the chairs, where he was greeted by a group hug from Victor and Phichit before sitting down.

“And the Superstar we are saying goodbye to tonight... is...” Morooka paused once more, sighing and shaking his head.

“...Yura. I'm sorry, but you are going home tonight.”

Minako shot up from her chair screaming “WHAT??”; Celestino and Yakov both sat there wide-eyed and floored. Phichit, Victor and Yuri all wore varying expressions of shock as the audience turned into bedlam, with angry screams and boos.

Chris looked down at Yura, feeling his stomach drop. “This... is not what I expected at all,” he said. “I'm so sorry...”

“Don't apologize. It's not your fault,” Yura said. And in probably the most unexpected thing Yura had ever done yet, he opened his arms and returned the hug that Chris tentatively offered as Chris teared up. “I don't understand this, you were so great...”

“I'll be fine. You guys aren't rid of me yet. We got the tour remember?” Yura said with a smirk as he leaned back out of the hug. “Now go take care of those other losers, I have a song to sing.” Chris sighed heavily, then turned to the cameras with a wave and a half-absent mouthing of 'thank you' before returning to the chairs, sitting down with an expression just as stunned as those of the other remaining contestants.

Morooka walked over to Yura, who was waving and nodding to the audience, mouthing variations of “it's fine, it's cool, I'm good” as he tried to calm them down. “We have watched you go from an inexperienced young performer to the beginnings of a star,” Morooka said. “I think I speak for everyone here when I say it's been amazing to watch you grow, and I have no doubt we haven't seen the last of you.”

“Hell no!” Yura said into the microphone that Seung Gil had brought him. “I'm just getting started.”

“That's what we want to hear,” Morooka said. “Let's take a look at Yura's journey everyone.”

Yura turned as the screens began to play the retrospective package, beginning with his phenomenal performance of “Sweet Child O' Mine” for his audition and continuing with bits of every performance from Hollywood Week on, up to and including “Hello” from the night before. There were several seconds of wild applause before Yura began to reprise his audition song, this time with the full band, the intro edited for time as well as the song itself shortened to give him just enough time to show how much his voice had improved and strengthened even from his first audition more than six months prior. As he finished the other contestants came back over to swallow him up in a group hug, with Yura admonishing Phichit and Yuri for tearing up and 'blubbering like idiots'. Victor recognized Yura's fronting immediately; the teen was much more disappointed than he wanted to let on in front of the world.

“And that's it for this week everyone,” Morooka said. “Next week, the Top Four will choose their songs from the Fan Vote held on our website two weeks ago. Keep an eye on the Top Four's Twitter pages tonight to see what the final picks they'll choose from will be, and tune in next week to see which songs they perform! And also, for the first time, our Superstars will perform competition duets. You won't want to miss it, so set those reminders and DVRs! Until next week, on behalf of our judges and Superstars, have a great night everyone. Morooka – out!”

  
  


**Post-Results Show – Contestants' Official Twitter Pages**

**@KatsukiYuriSGP** Hi everyone! The results of #SuperstarGPFanVote are in! I will be choosing my song from "All I Ask" by Adele, "Waiting For the World To Change" by John Mayer and "The Cure" by Lady Gaga. Or will I pick a Wild Card song? hmmm ;) Tune in next week for the Top Four to find out!

**@V_NikiforovSGP** Hello there! The results of #SuperstarGPFanVote are in! I'll be choosing from "Whole Lotta Love" by Led Zeppelin, "Starlight" by Slash/Myles Kennedy, "I Dare You" by Shinedown, or maybe a Wild Card song! Tune in for Top Four Week to find out which I'll sing!

**@ChristopheSGP** Hello darlings! The results of #SuperstarGPFanVote are in! The top 3 songs you chose for me are "Father Figure" by George Michael, "Stay With Me" by Sam Smith, "Mirrors" by Justin Timberlake or a Wild Card song. Which will I choose? Tune in for Top 4 week to find out, lovelies!

**@PhichitSGP** Hey everyone! The results of #SuperstarGPFanVote are in! I'll be choosing from "Break Free" by Ariana Grande, "Beat It" by Michael Jackson, "Teenage Dream" by Katy Perry or a Wild Card song! Tune in to Top Four Week to see which I choose! See you then!

**@YuraPlisetskySGP** The songs you voted for me to choose from for the #SuperstarGPFanVote will now be used as Wild Cards. They are: Centuries, Fall Out Boy | Man In The Box, Alice In Chains | My Champion, Alter Bridge || Thanks for all your support to get me to 5th place. See you at the Finale.

**@MilaBabichevaSGP** The songs you voted for me to choose from for the #SuperstarGPFanVote will now be used as Wild Cards. They are: Losing My Religion, Lacuna Coil – Don't Speak, No Doubt – You Oughta Know, Alanis Morrissette. Tune in to the Top Four Live Show to see if one's used! Good luck boys!

  
  


  
  


**Day After Results Show (Contestants' Day Off)**

Rather than allow Nikolai to make breakfast as he usually did for the departing housemate, it was decided that everyone would take Yura and him out instead. Upon Phichit telling this to Seung Gil, arrangements were made for a private gathering in downtown Los Angeles which would include all of the members of the top 12, since they were all in town.

In lieu of this Victor, Yuri, Phichit and Chris opted to assist with helping pack up 'Grandpa's' room – which was more like a small studio apartment – that he'd been living in as chaperon to Yura, while he supervised from a chair. Perhaps more so than being voted off, Yura felt very sad for Nikolai; his grandfather had never lived in such luxury, and he'd enjoyed having the other contestants around to look after in addition to his grandson. Likewise, everyone had loved having Nikolai around; he'd often been a source of comfort, especially when Mila, Otabek and Victor had felt a bit homesick or one of the housemates simply needed an impartial ear.

“I am going to miss you all,” Nikolai said as they gathered at the door, taking a moment to hug each contestant in turn.

“We'll see you in a bit, we're all going to breakfast remember?” Victor said warmly; he was working through his own emotions, having enjoyed having a father/grandfather figure to speak Russian with and to listen to Nikolai's many interesting stories about growing up in a Russia Victor had no real touch with.

“That doesn't matter, I'll still miss everyone. It's been difficult to say goodbye every week,” Nikolai said.

“Well now we'll be with all the people voted off at the hotel, so you can hang out with all of them,” Yura said. “At least I'll get to see Otabek more until the Finale.”

“Oh sure, you won't miss us a bit!” Phichit teased.

“I won't miss your annoying-ass chirping at ass crack o'clock,” Yura smirked; despite his demeanor when everyone had first gathered in LA, he'd actually become quite close to all of the remaining contestants, Victor in particular whom he'd more or less been with since Hollywood Week. “But I will miss the katsudon.”

“He means the food, not me,” Yuri laughed. “At least they can start calling you Yuri again.”

“Eh... I kinda got used to Yura. I think I'll keep it. Besides, I'll just need it for the tour anyway,” he said.

There was a pause then as the elephant in the room still hung about them; over Yura's shoulder out the open door, Victor saw the shuttle bus coming up the drive to take Yura and Nikolai to their hotel before Yura headed out for his press tour the following day, during which the backup piano player who traveled with the eliminated contestants for performances would act as Yura's chaperon.

“For what it's worth, I think it's bullshit that you got voted off,” Chris finally said. “It should have been me. I don't understand where this went wrong.”

“I think I figured it out,” Yura said. “I was looking around last night, and apparently I pissed off Adele's legion of fans when I rocked up her song. So that was more than likely it. Some things you don't mess with I guess,” he said. “Live and learn. At least I went out on a song that I felt good about and meant something to me. Hey... I made it a lot longer than I thought I might though. I was upset last night but in the end, I've got a long way to go yet. It's fine. Just promise me the four of you will fuck shit up in the good way next week. And make sure you don't listen when someone tells you to do something you don't feel right about. Stay who you are.” Nikolai nodded in agreement, patting Yura's shoulder as the shuttle bus pulled up.

“We will see you in a bit for breakfast,” Nikolai said. “And we'll be around till the show ends. I'll be checking on you all too,” he smiled.

“Spasibo, for taking care of us,” Victor said, swallowing back the lump in his throat.

“It's what I'm good at,” Nikolai smiled, tipping his beret. “No sad faces. You all have lots of work to do. That is what you should worry about now. Keep fighting till the end. You have all grown so much, and you all have so much left to give. Remember that.”

  
  


After Yura and Nikolai's departure from the house, the remaining contestants got ready and headed out to The Griddle Cafe in Los Angeles for a combination of Yura's farewell breakfast and a mini-reunion of sorts. As it had turned out, Mila's mother had been flown in before she'd been voted off as well, and Mila, her mother and Taisia had hit it off immediately; Leo had also returned with his parents as well as JJ with his parents after his promo stop in Toronto. The Cafe had closed for the private affair and the reunion with the rest of the voted-off contestants, right down to Minami, Guang Hong and Otabek, was a refreshing break from all of the intensity of the past week. After the breakfast, Eros Entertainment treated all of the contestants and the family members present to a day at Disneyland, with the festivities being filmed by a crew from the show for inclusion on their website.

It was near dark when the outing ended with Chris opting to spend a bit more time with Matheu and Phichit with his parents before returning to the mansion for the contestants' 11:00 pm curfew; Mari and Taisia, however, had planned a bit of a girls' night out with Mila and her mother, leaving Victor and Yuri on their own. They returned to the mansion in the bus, alone in the house for the first time since moving in for a scant three to four hours before Chris and Phichit returned.

Once both had wound down Victor made his way out to the terrace, sitting at the side of the fire pit with a glass of wine, hair still damp from his shower. Yuri found him shortly after, joining him on the cushioned bench and accepting Victor's offer of an arm around his shoulders; to Victor's pleasant surprise, Yuri laid his head on his shoulder with a sigh, curling up and tucking his feet under him.

“I'm exhausted,” Yuri said. “But it was really a fun day.”

“It was,” Victor said. “Even if we did get abandoned!”

Yuri laughed then. “Right? But I'm glad your mom seems to be getting along with everyone. She seems to be having a blast.”

Victor grinned after swallowing a mouthful of wine. “I know. It sounds crazy but she even looks younger since she got here. I feel like a weight is lifted and it's doing her so much good.”

“It has to be,” Yuri said. “I can't even imagine being in that situation. I'm so glad it worked out... I know how worried you were.”

Victor hummed mid-sip, nodding as he swallowed another mouthful of wine, then setting his glass down on the end table. “I was. I'm still a bit worried, but she'll find a place. She was talking about something extensively with Nikolai when we were at dinner at Disney, but it was so noisy that I couldn't make most of it out. They were discussing Yura though. I'll have to ask her when I get a chance.”

The pair grew quiet then, enjoying the sound of the light breeze rustling the trees that were just out of sight in the darkness at the edge of the second-floor terrace. Yuri felt himself already beginning to doze; he hadn't slept much the night before, with everyone staying up until the wee hours to spend their last times hanging out with Yura before he'd taken his leave of the house. The feel of Victor's hand softly rubbing his shoulder woke him from the near light-napping state and he drew in a breath, his arm reaching reflexively to wrap around Victor's torso.

“Yuri, so bold,” Victor teased; Yuri smiled and decided that for once, he wasn't going to be embarrassed for following his impulses.

“If you call cuddling bold, I'm afraid to see what you think is brazen or forward,” Yuri teased.

“I can think of a few examples,” Victor said.

“Oh yeah? Like?” Yuri replied.

“I'm not going to tell you. I want you to surprise me,” Victor countered with a smirk, reaching for his glass; he downed the rest of his half-glass of wine in one draught.

Yuri suddenly felt like he was being challenged, and it tripped something within him. Sitting up and moving in closer he wrapped his free arm around Victor's shoulders. “And this?”

“Mm... Forward,” Victor replied.

Yuri moved in even closer, both arms tightening around Victor. “And this?”

“More forward, but still just forward,” Victor smirked.

Yuri was feeling more confident by the second about his actions; it was a new sensation to be sure, but one he wanted to follow through on. He pressed even closer, the arm wrapped around Victor's torso coming up to splay his hand, rubbing over Victor's chest through the loose t-shirt he was wearing. “This?”

“Now, that I would say is a bit brazen,” Victor said. “Are you feeling me up, Yuri?”

Yuri smirked, shrugging innocently; in response, Victor's free hand moved to Yuri's thigh, sliding up to his hip, then around to his back, both arms pulling him in more. “I can do it too, you know.”

“Isn't that the point?” Yuri smiled; he was really enjoying the feel of Victor's muscular body, still toned and hard from his dancing and working out to stay fit, against his own which was equally maintained. Victor's eyebrows raised at that.

“Ohhohhhooo, now we've crossed over to brazen,” Victor confirmed. “You're just climbing right up the ladder aren't you?”

Yuri's face was close enough to Victor's now that he could smell the wine on his breath; somehow, that made him even more attractive. “Well there's certainly someone worth winning at the top of it.”

In the firelight that was mixed with the soft white Christmas lights that were strung around the fence of the terrace, Yuri saw Victor flush bright red, that ridiculously beautiful smile spreading across his face.

And... that did it. Yuri felt the surge of emotion in his chest, all his senses and impulses screaming at him to follow through... and he did.

Victor blinked, completely taken aback as Yuri leaned in and trapped his mouth in a kiss, the Japanese man fumbling a bit until he found the most comfortable angle for his head, then settling in. Victor closed his eyes, arms tightening around Yuri, taking in the sensations he'd been dying to experience since he'd first laid eyes on Yuri during Hollywood Week. Victor's palm ran softly over Yuri's back, the other cradling the back of his head; Yuri's hand on his chest pressed in a bit, moving in a lazy, small circle as his free hand tangled into Victor's hair. The kiss lasted what felt like forever, but really was less than a minute before Yuri pulled back slightly for air, lips still hovering near Victor's.

“And that?” Yuri murmured, his voice soft.

“That... rocked my world,” Victor replied. “I think we should do that again.” He leaned in, brushing his lips over Yuri's; when the other leaned in Victor initiated this time, their arms tightening around each other. They continued for quite some time, breaks for air punctuated with soft kisses over each others' faces or lips until both needed more than a few seconds to breathe. It was Victor who drew in a deep breath first, exhaling sharply and shaking his head a bit to clear it.

“Not even going to lie... I've been waiting a long time for this,” Victor said softly.

“Yeah... me too,” Yuri said. “But... after the talk we had... it feels right.”

“It does,” Victor smiled. “I'm... glad we had this time to ourselves.”

“Me too... I mean... that's another reason I think it's taken so long... sure you can close doors but...”

“We both have roommates still!” Victor laughed. “But there are plenty of empty bedrooms now...” He winked at that, and this time it was Yuri's turn to blush.

“I... don't know...” Yuri stammered. “I mean...”

“I know, I'm just teasing,” Victor said. “With everything going on right now, I think taking things slow is probably best. Not that we haven't been flirting for literally months but... crossing the line to this is kind of a big thing. It's not something I take lightly.”

Yuri nodded. “Me either... we'll... figure things out. At least we'll still have some time together even if the tour is going to be even worse privacy-wise.”

“Oh lord, living on tour buses with everyone? Torture!” Victor laughed. “Maybe we can see if we can room together.”

“We can do that,” Yuri said. “Phichit and Chris can team up, they're pretty good friends now.”

“Ditching your best friend, how cruel Yuri,” Victor teased.

“Oh please, I'm sure he's about sick of me by now. We've lived together for close to six years if you count this whole thing too.”

“True. Besides, we'd probably just end up switching rooms anyway,” Victor replied. He then smiled softly as he looked into Yuri's eyes, which were growing more sleepy by the minute.

“You're tired,” he said. “I can tell.”

“Why do you always assume I'm tired?” Yuri smirked.

“Because your eyes look like they're going to fall out,” Victor teased, reaching up to take Yuri's glasses off his face, then peering closer. “Yep, I see zombie potential.”

As Victor's face drew closer, Yuri found the urge irresistible again and leaned in to kiss Victor even more deeply, realizing he probably should have taken his glasses off the first time. Victor absently set them down on the table behind him without breaking the kiss, then returned to wrap his arms around Yuri as they settled in for round two, both of them relaxing more and melting into each others' embrace. Time felt like it was standing still as they traded chaste caresses, both following a wordless pact to keep things somewhat innocent... at least for now.

“OH MY GOD FINALLY IT'S ABOUT GOD DAMNED TIME!!!”

The pair were startled out of their reverie by Phichit and Chris throwing open the sliding glass doors that led from the dance/workout room to the terrace, Phichit with phone in hand already snapping photos and Chris hot on his tail, carrying a bottle of champagne and four glasses; the pair had apparently been seeking out Yuri and Victor after coming home, both already sounding rather tipsy.

“Don't you _dare_ post any of these!” Yuri said as Phichit got in close and snapped a few more photos of the two, who despite the intrusion hadn't done anything to disentangle from one another.

“I know I know but I have to have something for proof!!” Phichit grinned.

“I thought you two were messing around _ages_ ago, such prudes!” Chris grinned. “I guess my yearning for champagne is most appropriate!” He popped open the bottle and began to pour glasses for everyone as Phichit flopped down on the bench on the opposite side of the fire pit.

Yuri smirked at Victor apologetically. “Well... it was fun while it lasted,” he murmured.

“Yes... it was. I suppose we should be getting to sleep soon anyway... but we're not finished here. Not by a long shot,” Victor replied in an equal murmur.

Yuri smiled at that, giving Victor one last squeeze before they both made a move to change position to one more suitable for shared company. “Definitely not,” he smiled. “We're just getting started.”

  
  


“Don't you _dare_ go to sleep yet! Tell me everything!!”

“Phichit, there's nothing to tell. We talked, we got closer, and we kissed.”

Phichit was sitting on Yuri's bed, bouncing as he usually did when he was excited about something; it was a common occurrence in their college days. But the combination of need for sleep and intoxication made the motion intolerable to Yuri, whose head was spinning as it was let alone the rolling of his stomach caused by Phichit's currently annoying methods of keeping him awake to feed the need to be in his space and business. Yuri was just aggravated enough that he raised a foot, planting it firmly on the back of Phichit's hips, and shoved him off the bed onto the floor.

“Hey! What the hell Yuri?” Phichit protested as he got up, at least taking the hint and getting onto his own bed.

“I could have puked in your lap, be happy,” Yuri snarked.

“Fine, but you're not getting away without telling me what happened,” Phichit said.

“Like I said. We talked yesterday morning, and tonight we kissed. There's nothing more to say. We're taking it slow. There's enough going on right now as it is, but at least we admitted our feelings for each other, whatever they are.”

Phichit flopped down on his bed, pulling the blankets over him. “It takes literally _months_ for you two to finally get together, and that's all you've got?”

“It's all we had time for, and it's all we're doing right now. Maybe we'd have had a more peaceful end to our night if we hadn't been, you know, interrupted.”

“Why are you in such a bad mood, because you didn't get laid?” Phichit snarked bitterly.

“Because maybe sometimes I want to keep things to myself. This whole situation is fragile as it is right now. I'm sorry we're not screwing in the pool for display or something, but not everything has to be dramatic,” Yuri said. “This is the first time I've liked someone and they like me back. Sorry if I'm being a little protective of that, but not really.”

Phichit remained silent then, at which Yuri reached over and turned out his light. “Go to sleep. We have to work extra hard tomorrow because of not being able to pick our songs till yesterday.”

“Yeah whatever,” Phichit murmured, turning off his own light and turning his back to his friend.

Yuri, however, didn't see as he'd already closed his eyes, burrowing under his comforter and shutting out the irritation caused by his exceptionally-invasive friend. Instead, he fell asleep to memories of the best part of the night, for once allowing himself to be happy rather than afraid. He wasn't really sure what would happen, or how long he and Victor would last past the ending of the show or the tour, but he was determined to make the most of the time they had, even if it was just for now.

  
  


“So you finally took the jump. It's about time.”

Chris was finishing his last flute of champagne and Victor really wasn't sure where the man put it all. He'd probably taken care of most of the bottle while the four of them had been outside, with Victor and Yuri barely finishing their single glass and Chris sharing the rest with Phichit.

“It just kind of happened. We talked yesterday in the morning before we all left for the lot and got some feelings out in the open. And when we finally had a little time alone Yuri felt comfortable enough to be forward, which is something that's kind of hard for him I think. He holds things in a lot. It's a start. I'll take what I can, I don't want to force the issue.”

“Probably for the best, he's a skittish little kitten at times,” Chris said with a smirk. “But at least you've gotten some idea of what's been going on in his head.”

Victor nodded as he pulled the blankets up to his chin. “Yes, that's definitely a good thing. I'm sure we'll figure things out in time, but we're just going to take it as it comes for now. There's too much else to think about anyway, and well... it's not like I really know what I'm doing, so.”

“Does anyone, when they finally meet 'the one'?” Chris teased.

“Chris!”

“Juuuust saying.”

Victor let out an exasperated, amused sigh as he turned off his light. “Go to sleep. It will not look good for any of us if we're hung over in the morning.”

“All right, I'll give you that. Goodnight, darling.”

Victor huffed bemusedly in response. “Goodnight, messy ass.”

“Aw, you noticed, I'm flattered.”

“Goodnight, Chris.”

“Goodnight, Victor.”

  
  


Seung Gil had just begun to doze off, having gotten in late after working on the Disney outing and looking over the raw footage with Morooka. He'd been so exhausted that he'd forgotten to put his phone on do not disturb and as such the text tone startled him awake – especially since the volume was up to the max from earlier in the day. He reached over to the phone on the nightstand, the screen illuminating the room while the text notification stayed on it... and immediately regretted something he'd done in a moment of weakness earlier that day when he saw the words **Phichit – text message** in the alert bubble.

He was not supposed to have any personal contact with the contestants outside of the show while they were still actively on it. Once they were voted off, it was permissible, and Seung Gil had known he was playing with fire. But after Phichit had caught him during the breakfast party at The Griddle Cafe and had asked Seung Gil outright if he could trust him, he'd been caught off guard. He'd asked Phichit what he'd meant and Phichit confessed about overhearing the conversation from the week before with Emil, and then asked him point blank if he'd had anything to do with bringing Victor's mother to Los Angeles. He answered truthfully that he had not, but that the things he'd reported to Morooka likely had a hand in making it happen. Seung Gil then told Phichit about Morooka's original plan for springing their family members on them out of nowhere and how he'd curtailed it, swearing Phichit to secrecy; he also explained that, as Morooka's right hand man, things like being his informant were unfortunately part of the job, though it was ultimately up to him what he chose to divulge to his boss.

Something within Seung Gil wanted Phichit to trust him. The young Thai man had somehow gotten under his skin, and in the moment he decided there was only one way to show Phichit that he was on the up and up... and gave him his private, non-work phone number. That in and of itself had broken the cardinal rule, but Phichit actually using the number to contact him would spell his immediate dismissal from his duties and Phichit's disqualification from the show should it ever be discovered. In that light he debated responding, of deleting the message without opening it, but his curiosity got the better of him and he opened the text.

**Phichit _12:55 am_** _Just wanted to say goodnight. Today was a lot of fun. Glad we got to talk. Hope we can talk more soon. See you in a few days for rehearsals._

Seung Gil knew full well that Phichit would see that he'd read the text; he also knew full well what his next decision meant. But after dozing off debating the pros and cons and finding it was nearly a half hour later when he opened his eyes again, he decided to throw caution to the wind and follow through anyway.

  
  


Phichit stared at the words **Read** _12:58 am_ for about as long as he could handle it without a reply before setting his phone down next to his pillow on the bed. For a while he listened to Yuri's light snoring – his longtime roommate had always lowkey snored when he'd been drinking, which is why he was never able to hide it even if he came in after Phichit was in bed – and thought back over their verbal scuffle from earlier.

At first he'd been hurt that Yuri wouldn't share the details about what had happened between Victor and him, but after his friend had become uncharacteristically defensive – intoxication notwithstanding – and had fallen asleep for the night, Phichit realized that he had, in fact, been far too intrusive. Yuri had always been a private person when it came to things like this, and due to his often paralyzing insecurity, extremely superstitious about anything regarding a potential relationship ever really going his way. He could completely understand Yuri being terrified that Victor was just a fleeting chance or that things could rapidly change, and would have remembered all of this if he hadn't drank far too much at the hotel bar with Chris and Matheu before he and his fellow contestant headed home, with even more champagne on top of it once they'd gotten back.

He realized then that his own bitter reaction had come from nothing less than jealousy. Phichit had a serious crush too, but unlike Yuri who could act on it since it was on another contestant, Phichit's crush could cause far more damage if word got out. Even though Seung Gil had opened up to him a bit when they'd found a quiet corner of the restaurant to talk, he'd repeatedly cautioned Phichit that if any of their personal, non-show related conversations or interactions were to be discovered, they would both lose everything. It had put Phichit in a strange headspace: He most certainly didn't want to be disqualified or for Seung Gil to lose a job that, by his admission, was the most prestigious and important one he'd had on his resume so far.

But dammit, he _really_ wanted to kiss that pretty Korean boy, and seeing Yuri _finally_ kissing Victor had just caused Phichit to snap a bit, especially in his inebriated state. He'd definitely make sure he apologized in the morning, though Yuri would probably have already moved on, just like he always did. He was incredibly forgiving that way.

Phichit blinked as his phone buzzed; he'd put it on silent rather than do not disturb so he'd hear it if the message he'd hoped for actually came. He raised the phone, the screen casting a faint, cold glow over the room, and saw **Seung Gil – text message** in the alert bubble. He swiped the bubble to take him to the message.

**Seung Gil _1:43 am_** _You should really be sleeping. At least I don't have lot call till noon. See you in a couple days. Goodnight. And remember: hush._

Phichit grinned as he put the phone on do not disturb, checking his alarm one more time before setting it down. Hugging his pillow, he drifted off to sleep, a smile staying on his lips long after he'd fallen into slumber.

  
  


  
  


**The Next Day: Song Rehearsals with Takeshi and the Band**

Takeshi was always excited about music, especially when one of the contestants was nailing their song for the week pretty much out of the gate. But Yuri was pretty sure he'd never heard the musical director outright roar with excitement, but it had just happened and he was pretty sure it was a good thing.

“Oh my _god_ I am loving this!! I knew this arrangement would work for you and I was right. The modulation? The whole buildup? You are going to blow the roof off the place this week Yuri!” Takeshi grinned; the other members of the band were also nodding their approval or smiling. “Have you done it like this before?”

“No, I've only ever sang the song the original way, though I knew about this arrangement. I'm a little nervous about changing it up but I don't think it's too different.”

“I think this is way better actually, the only part that's somewhat different is the end, but that's spectacular,” Takeshi said. “The musical genre of the song is tweaked a little too, but it's still basically true to the original. I'm really surprised this version hasn't been recorded considering it came from one of the co-writers. At least we'll have yours of it recorded.”

“I'm just worried too that I'll get accused of repeating myself in a way... maybe I should go with one of the other songs,” Yuri said, fighting back some anxiety over the song choice now.

“No! Absolutely not. Don't change this one Yuri. I'm telling you, this will be the moment of your arrival as a bona fide threat. I think people are expecting you to make top three but with this? They're going to see that you can take that way further.”

Yuri nodded then, feeling more confident after the enthusiastic approval of Takeshi and the entire band; just as he was about to respond Yuko came in, bearing Starbucks for herself and her husband.

“Ah, perfect timing!” Takeshi grinned as he took the coffee from her. “You have to hear this!”

Yuko smiled and came over to hug Yuri in greeting. “Oh? What's that?”

“Have a seat,” Takeshi offered, and she sat down on the sofa in the rehearsal room as he turned to the band and Yuri. “From the top everyone.”

Yuri was feeling even more warmed up now, and something about Yuko's presence changed things a bit. They'd always had a friendly competition going when they'd been in dance class together, but now he'd moved on to a field that she'd never really expressed an interest in... something he was better at, by default, than her. _Time to show her that I'm not that timid little kid anymore._

As he sang he closed his eyes, the song making him picture someone in particular with that in turn fueling the emotions he put into it. At the modulation, he felt it come even more easily and he soared up into the shift upward in key, the final repeat of the chorus being that much more powerful. He felt the edges of the swirling high he'd only gotten a few times while performing so far; that euphoria that said he'd hit the exact combination of presentation and emotion to put the song across as he indulged in a few carefully-placed runs at the dramatically-arranged ending of the song. The band came to rest and he drew in a few deep breaths, eyes still closed as he composed himself until Yuko's squeal of glee broke him from his almost meditative state.

“Oh my god you're _amazing!!!”_ she cried, running over to hug him tightly. “I can't wait to see you do this live on the show, everyone is going to lose their minds!! I'm so proud of you!”

Yuri hugged her back, smiling as she stepped back from the embrace. “Thanks... I've... been thinking about some stuff and this song was the one that spoke to me the most of the three I had to pick from.”

“It's a perfect choice,” Yuko agreed. “It's going to be spectacular, you're going to steal the show!”

Takeshi walked over and patted Yuri on the shoulder as he replaced the microphone in its stand, his allotted hour of rehearsal time coming to an end. “That's what I told him. It's time to pull out the big guns, and you're going to come out blazing, my friend.”

  
  


“I like the way this sounds for the two of you. I think now that Lilia helped Chris out in what register to sing in it's working much better.”

Takeshi was running through the duet that the fans had chosen that was subsequently assigned to Chris and Phichit. It had been apparent that the song was likely voted for with the assumption that Yura would still be in the competition, and as such Chris had been required to toy with his singing technique a bit to get the right feel for his part. It was something he was quite capable of but just hadn't really used, and with Lilia's guidance, he now felt much better about it.

“I don't usually get too growly, but I think this will be fun to sing,” Chris said. “It's definitely different for me.”

“So is your solo song,” Takeshi said. “I'm kind of surprised at the one you chose.”

“Yeah me too,” Phichit said. “I totally thought you'd go for something more in your wheelhouse.”

“But what fun is _that?”_ Chris grinned. “It's getting down to the wire now and I'm fighting it out with the best of the best. I have to make sure everyone knows I mean business.”

“Ohhhoooo, throwin' down the gauntlet!” Takeshi grinned. “I like it!”

“He's not gonna make it easy for me is he?” Phichit laughed.

“Why should I? You won't make it easy for me either,” Chris sniffed in mock indignation.

“The claws are starting to come out now,” Takeshi said as he cued up the band for another runthrough. “Just make sure you remember that at the end of the day it's just a competition. I've done other shows where people wind up hating each other over a song. It's not that deep.”

“Nah, at the end of the day I'm sure we'll all be friends,” Chris said. “After all, we'll be stuck in two tin cans for months on tour, we'd better be.”

“Oh god when you put it like that it sounds awful,” Phichit laughed.

“All I'm saying is don't let tensions running high get to you,” Takeshi cautioned. “It happens a lot when things get down to the wire. Have fun with these last few weeks, because they're going to fly.”

  
  


“You are literally terrifying. I honestly think at this point there's nothing you can't sing. I'm gonna give you the phone book and see how you do with that!”

Victor broke into laughter as he finished the final runthrough for the day of his solo song, with Takeshi standing for a few moments after it ended just shaking his head in amazement.

“I honestly think you and Yuri are going to be neck and neck this week,” Takeshi said. “Of all the songs you've done so far, I think this is the most soulful and open I've seen you. If I didn't know better I'd say your mom being here has helped a lot.”

Victor sipped on his tea, nodding in response as he set the cup down. “I won't disagree with that. There was... a situation happening with her, that had been in the back of my mind for a while. It was part of why we hadn't been in touch. I was actually glad when I found out this was one of my choices because it fits my mood right now. Between her situation resolving and what's going on in the world right now it's a pretty powerful song to sing. It's been one of my favorites for a while too.”

“Yeah there's definitely a lot of emotion in your delivery and it works,” Takeshi said. “I don't think we have to make any tweaks to the arrangement, we'll just play it straight up and let you do your thing.”

Victor smiled softly at that. “I just hope the judges don't get on me for doing the same thing again. It's not like it's my choice this week because of the songs I ended up with, but you know how it goes sometimes.”

“Quite honestly, I sometimes feel like they forget what they've said from one week to the next,” Takeshi said. “Sometimes I get confused too. I get that they want you to stretch yourself and try new things but everyone has a zone, something they're best at, and when you all leave this show that's what your fans are going to want. It floors me when I see contestants leave other singing shows and end up doing something completely different than what they were loved for the most, though I get that sometimes that's what record labels do. They make you change to fit what they want, rather than what you want.”

“That won't happen to me,” Victor said decisively. “No matter how I end up getting a deal, I'm going to stay true to myself ultimately. Or at least, fight to as much as possible.”

Takeshi gave him a side eye and smirk, then huffed in amusement. “Somehow Victor, I don't think you'll have anything to worry about.”

  
  


  
  


**Live Shows, Week 9 – Fan Voted Songs**

_Going to cold open montage in 5... 4... 3... 2... 1!_

**Morooka, voiceover:** _ Footage of the show's official social media pages and fan comments  _ Our viewers have been very vocal about what they'd love to see our Superstars sing, and we heard your requests for a chance to have some input on the music you hear. Two weeks ago, we asked you, the viewers at home, to vote on our website for the songs you'd most like to hear our Top Four sing.  _ Montage of Victor, Yuri, Chris and Phichit's performances, then back to more social media page shots  _ And did you ever offer your opinions! We received more than a billion votes for the songs that were in the running for this week, and tonight, you'll find out which ones our Superstars chose, and which won the top votes for the first-ever Superstar Duets. It's going to be a great night, so let's get to it. THIS... is Superstar Grand Prix!!  _ Go to opening montage. _

The show-opening montage seemed a bit shorter this week and with much ground to cover, it wasn't surprising. The show was now down to 60 minutes, the pace much faster than the earlier rounds where there were many more contestants to fit in. As such it had felt in the dress rehearsals that there wasn't even really a moment to breathe and regroup between performances, and it had left the four remaining contestants switched to high gear. As Victor looked over the other three men standing with him, he mused to himself that even as far back as Hollywood Week, he'd somehow known that they would be the final four. Despite the friendships they'd all formed, for the next while, he could see each of them with their eyes on the prize... just like his were.  _ Shit is about to get a thousand times more real, _ he thought to himself with a smirk as Morooka introduced the judges. By the time the Superstars were announced they were all so riled up they practically raced out onto the stage, slapping and shaking hands around the edge of the stage and waving to their respective family members before sitting down in the chairs: Chris first, then Victor, Phichit and Yuri.

“All right everyone, we have a lot to cover tonight, so let's get right to it,” Morooka began. “First up, we have the duet song that was chosen by Victor and Yuri. Come on up guys.” Victor and Yuri rose from their seats, receiving encouraging pats on the shoulders from Chris and Phichit before heading over to center stage.

“So, what is the song you'll be doing for us tonight?” Morooka asked.

“The viewers voted for “What You Own” from RENT,” Victor said into his headset microphone; he and Yuri had opted to go that route to give a little more authenticity to the song, as the performers in the show also wore them. “We were pretty excited when it was one of the two duet songs chosen.”

Yuri nodded in agreement. “We are both very familiar with this song and it's something that fits us both, so we've been really working hard on it. I think it's come together very well.”

“All right then, let's hear it,” Morooka said, the cue for Yuri and Victor to take their places on the stage. “Performing 'What You Own' from the musical RENT, originally sung by Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal, here are Yuri Katsuki and Victor Nikiforov!”

The band started into the intro of the song, with Yuri stepping forward to sing first as he'd taken Anthony Rapp's part of the duet. He fell into his theatrical mode immediately, his voice carrying across the room and opening out with a gorgeous vibrato and a smoothness that wasn't always present in his more pop and rock-oriented performances. He finished the first chorus and Victor began his part, letting a bit of the growl in his midrange surface to accommodate the tone of Adam Pascal's original vocal. The pair began to play off each other as they traded off lines, facing each other as the second chorus with their commingled voices and the harmonies kicked in, their delivery getting more and more focused as they tapped into the underlying angst of the song. They sailed into the change in full two-part harmony, their demeanor and delivery getting more and more animated. But it was their interaction in the breakdown, eyes locked on each other as they sang lyrics that touched on emotions just under their own surfaces, that gave the duet a sudden spark of extra electricity:

_What was it about that night?_  
_Connection, in an isolating age_  
_For once, the shadows gave way to light_  
_For once I didn't disengage_  


As they switched back into the character of the song they turned to face the audience, both momentarily in their own zones as they sang the vocals which were almost in a round before exploding into the final chorus, the harmonies soaring over the room and the crowd already cheering as their voices blended perfectly. As they sang the final line, “I'm not alone” the energy in the room was almost palpable, with Victor's fists clenched, his stance almost triumphant as he went up into the final few high notes while Yuri crossed his arms over his chest, fists also clenched as he seemed to embrace himself almost in reassurance as he sang the same words. The band ended on the final staccato notes and the crowd exploded, the noise deafening as the pair stood in their places for a moment, chests heaving a bit as they took in the high they'd both reached. They then turned to each other, breaking into grins as they walked into each others' opened arms, giving each other hearty pats on the back as the crowd's roar escalated that much more.

“Oh my god that was fantastic!” Victor half-yelled into Yuri's ear after reaching to switch off his headset mic, prompting Yuri to do the same.

“Right?? I thought the rehearsals were great but damn!” Yuri grinned. As the “Quiet Please” screens were put up the crowd finally settled down, reminding the pair to take their places at center stage; they'd had so much fun they'd forgotten they were actually in competition.

“Good lord,” Celestino began, shaking his head with an amused smile. “I honestly think you two were pretty evenly matched in this. This was perfect for both of you because you both have the types of voices that are in the original song. I felt like I was watching a performance of the show itself and I honestly think you both could be in a production of it. You both were on top of your game tonight, great job.”

“I got chills watching this, I'm not kidding,” Minako said. “You both captured the spirit of this so incredibly well and went right into character too. As far as vocals I agree with Celestino, you're completely evenly matched as far as technique and skill, even while you have two completely different types of voices. You complimented each other perfectly and this was an excellent choice.”

“Victor is always consistently good,” Yakov began. “But in the last couple of weeks, I have felt that Yuri is beginning to reach another level. There is a new confidence about you that you are not afraid to express yourself. Each of you having the other to push them in this song was quite key to showing us who is rising to the occasion, and you both most certainly did.”

Morooka walked up to the pair as they shared another hug, sending the crowd into another mini-frenzy. “Great job, both of you,” he commended them. “Head on back to the chairs, I'm sure you can use a break after that performance!” They both laughed and waved to the crowd as they applauded and cheered one last time while they made their way to the chairs.

“Our first solo performer of the evening is Chris. Come on up my friend,” Morooka called; Chris rose and walked up to center stage to cheers and screams, waving, smiling and blowing a few kisses before he stopped at the mark on the stage.

“Chris, it seems you had a bit of trouble deciding which song you wanted to use. What happened there?” Morooka asked.

“Well, the three songs that were chosen were all very good and fit me quite well,” Chris began. “But at the same time, I really felt that each one was something I'd already done in some way, and one of them was even an artist I've used twice now. So I decided to choose my song from the Wild Cards available instead.”

“Sounds reasonable,” Morooka agreed. “I'm very interested to hear this as it is definitely something we haven't seen you try before. Head on back to the band,” he said with a gesture toward them, at which Chris walked back and took his place behind the microphone. “Performing 'Centuries' by Fall Out Boy, here is Chris Giacometti!”

The stage darkened and a power chord accompanied Chris' first few words, his voice going up into his higher mid range as he sang the first refrain then went into the verse, keeping up the difficult, fast-paced belting vocal as a growl surfaced in his voice, his expression intense as he stalked toward center stage for the first chorus. He broke into a wicked grin as in the audience Yura was standing up and fistpumping to spur Chris on, singing along at the top of his lungs; the song had been one of the three that had been chosen for him and he'd most likely have done had he'd stayed in the competition. As the song progressed Chris slipped into a bit of his sexy persona where one part of the lyrics took on a seductive tone. As the song went into the change he set the mic back into the stand, raising his hands over his head to urge the audience to clap by clapping himself. He snatched up the microphone in its stand, powering through the final reprises of the chorus, spinning and stalking across the stage in full out rock star mode, then planting the mic stand down at center stage and spreading his hands wide at the final “remember me for centuries” line, the lights fading out to black and the crowd exploding once more.

Over in the chairs, Yuri gave Victor a wicked smirk. “He's coming for your wig,” he laughed, at which Victor covered his head with both hands with an expression of mock fear on his face before he returned to applauding and cheering himself; Phichit was jumping up and down and screaming as well as Chris took his mark at center stage.

“This is most definitely something we haven't seen from you before,” Yakov began. “And while you performed the song exceptionally well and your vocal was quite impressive, I am not certain this persona itself fits you. That to me makes the song come out as a bit inauthentic. I do however commend you for stepping out of your comfort zone, as you were quite correct about the other songs chosen for you.”

“I dunno, I kind of disagree,” Celestino said. “I think there's different kinds of rock star and just because you're more in the David Bowie mode as opposed to, say, Victor's Robert Plant, doesn't mean that you can't pull that sort of thing off. The vocal was _blazing,_ though, I had no idea you had that in in you. Is it a bit jarring to see you switch personas like this? Sure, but great job on it, it took guts to jump in like that.”

“I don't know... I'm not sure I totally buy it,” Minako said. “Is this something you would have used in your other line of work, for example, or is it something out of character for you?”

Chris frowned at the odd question, but took it on anyway. “I actually would have considered this song, and I've seen it used for the pole before. I'm not afraid to try new things when it's warranted.”

“Your vocal was fantastic, I don't have an issue with that,” Minako said. “But I feel like you're trying to keep up with Victor here, and it makes you look like an imitator. But hopefully the viewers will hear your vocal skills first and vote accordingly.” Over in the chairs, Victor was considering whether or not what Minako had just said was flattering or insulting.

“I think you sounded great up here, right audience?” Morooka said as he stepped up to Chris; the crowd responded with more applause and cheers. Morooka continued on to recite Chris' voting information, then sent him back to the chairs as the show went to break.

“What the fuck was that critique?” Phichit said with an irritated tone. “You totally went out of your comfort zone and killed that!”

“Yeah I don't get that,” Yuri said. “They came down pretty hard on you when they usually ask for people to try different things.”

“Apparently it's not a good idea to try to pretend to be me, Chris,” Victor said, a note of sarcasm in his voice. “Stop it.”

“God, I'm sorry, I won't step on your toes again!” Chris said in mock terror, which succeeded in cracking the other three up.

“Honestly? I think they're shook that Chris just showed he can compete toe to toe with Victor,” Phichit said. “I don't think they were expecting that.”

“That's what it's about though,” Victor said. “Never stop surprising them.”

The show returned from the commercial break with Morooka at center stage once more. “Our next performer is well known to our viewers for his showmanship. Let's find out what song Phichit has chosen from your requests.” Phichit returned Yuri's hug for luck before rising and jogging over to stage center, waving to the cheering crowd as he went.

“So Phichit, your three songs were quite interesting this week. Which did you end up choosing?”

“Well, because it was the fan vote, I decided to go with the one that got the most votes out of the three, because I feel like if they went to the trouble to vote for it, then they must really want to hear it. So I'll be doing “Break Free” by Ariana Grande.” The crowd broke into cheers; Yuri noticed with a bit of concern however, that both Celestino and Minako seemed to be somewhat concerned by his choice if the inquisitive frowns on their faces were any indication.

“Sounds good,” Morooka said as he gestured for Phichit to take his place with the band. “All right everyone, give it up for Phichit Chulanont!”

Phichit stepped forward, pulling the microphone out of its stand as the synthesizer intro to the song began. He affected a bit of a sexy presence, slinking around the stage as he sang the melody with his ever present mischievous smile, setting the fans in the front row off into squeals as he made eye contact with a few and sent a little wave their way. He stopped at stage front and center to sing the first chorus, gesturing in wide swoops with his free hand before becoming more animated for the second part of it, adding in more sexy sways of hips. A bit of a rasp mixed into his higher notes in the bridge of the song; he became more bouncy for the second chorus as the synthesizers and electronic drums picked up more of the beat. For the breakdown he used a bit of his falsetto for the improvisations and some of the melody before hitting a few clear high glory notes as the song went into the final reprises of the chorus. He continued the improvisations, hitting some impressive high notes before the final line, the song ending without the musical interlude present on the original due to being edited for time.

Over in the chairs the other three contestants noted with concern that the applause and cheers, while certainly enthusiastic, were a bit less than what Phichit had gotten for past performances. Yuri had tried to talk him into doing “Beat It”, which he felt Phichit could have kicked ass on. But his friend had been determined to do the song he felt his fans wanted to hear the most, intent on 'paying something back' for their support.

“Phichit, how you doin' man, did that feel good up there?” Celestino asked; Phichit nodded enthusiastically, but as he watched Phichit in closeup on the screens Yuri could tell his friend was not quite as confident about his performance as he had been even as recent as that day's dress rehearsal.

“I'm not sure this was the best song choice for you,” Celestino continued. “No doubt Ariana has a great voice and this song is definitely of the tone and type we've seen you take on. But you're capable of so much more and we've seen that, so this was just okay for me. You sounded great and singing this in the same key as the original is pretty impressive and speaks of your very unique range. But I kind of wish you'd have gone with “Beat It”, I feel it would have been more worthy of your vocal skills.”

“Honestly, I think this song was a good choice for you because of the fact that you sang it as well as Ariana,” Minako said. “It's absolutely insane that a man has a voice this high and you didn't even bat an eyelash at even the highest notes. But the song itself is kind of flat instrumentally so I think you probably could have benefited from some extra staging. If anything distracted from your performance I would say it was that more than any lack of skill on your part. I liked this, good job.”

“That you listen to your fans is admirable, but at the same time you also have to do things that ultimately benefit you as a performer,” Yakov said. “Any one of the three songs would have appeased your fans as they still voted for them. I would have gone with the Michael Jackson song for you, as I think you would have been far more impressive on it. Your vocal was excellent as always, but the song itself is quite below your skill as a vocalist.”

Phichit nodded, sighing heavily as Morooka came over to him. “I'm sure your fans are very happy you went with their top pick,” he reassured Phichit, giving his shoulder a pat. He moved on to recite Phichit's voting information then sent him back to the chairs, where he was greeted with a consoling hug by Yuri.

“Our next performance is from the last rocker standing out of the Top Twelve,” Morooka continued. “Victor, come on over.” Victor rose to an explosion of cheers and screams; as he turned to wave at the audience he had to laugh at Taisia down in the first row, jumping up and down and screaming with Mari following suit next to her.

“So which song have you chosen tonight Victor, and why?” Morooka asked.

“I've chosen “Starlight” by Slash and Myles Kennedy,” he replied. “It's been one of my favorite songs for a while now, and Myles is one of my favorite singers. And the lyrics really fit what is going on in the world today. I love that it's a song of hope above all else.”

“All right, I know I've seen a lot of excitement over you possibly doing this song, so head on back and let's hear it,” Morooka said. “Everyone give it up for Victor Nikiforov!”

As Takeshi began an abbreviated version of the guitar intro to the song Victor took hold of the microphone in its stand, eyes closed as he focused on setting the mood. He began to sing the blues-tinged melody line, his free hand holding the shaft of the microphone stand as he sang, eyes still closed, his voice sensitive with some gentle vibrato at first. The first chorus crashed in and he shifted effortlessly into his high range, the first part of the melody spiraling upward until he hit a combination belted falsetto note, face grimacing in concentration as he kept the melody on key. As the band settled down into the second verse his delivery became more soulful, singing the meaningful lyrics with the appropriate emotions before opening up into the second chorus, evoking more cheers and screams from the audience as he once again hit the impressive high notes with ease. As the change of the song came up Victor became his most expressive yet, yanking the microphone out of its stand and walking to the lip of the stage, free hand alternating between a clenched fist and an upturned palm that swept over the crowd as he emphasized the lyrics of his favorite part of the song, patting his chest over his heart to coincide with the words “I believe”:

_You will see as the mountains fall and turn to dust_  
_That there's one thing that won't change_  
_I believe there is something within each of us_  
_That always stays_  
_That will always remain_  
_As long as love never fades_  


There was an abbreviated bit of the guitar solo from the original recording that segued back into the final reprise of the chorus; as Victor sang he walked out onto the catwalk circling the judges' table. The crowd had already been going insane and did so even more. He stopped at the middle of the catwalk, behind the judges to finish with the final reprise of the first verse which dropped back down into the same soulful, wistful melody as the beginning. As he lowered the mic away from his face he bowed his head, the lights fading out as Takeshi's final guitar riff also faded out to silence. Victor walked back around the other side of the catwalk as the crowd went absolutely insane; he looked down to his left just before stepping back onto the stage to see the other eliminated contestants all on their feet and cheering along with the crowd, with Yura and Otabek in particular screaming at the top of their lungs and Nikolai applauding heartily.

“Victor!!” Celestino yelled as the “Quiet Please” screens went up to calm the crowd down. “Man, this song was one so many people slept on when it came out. It's such a great great song and Myles Kennedy is probably one of the best classic rock style vocalists out there right now. I don't know how I didn't catch that you were influenced by him but it makes a lot of sense now. This was quintessential Victor and at this point I don't really think there's anything more you need to learn that you don't already know. The vocal was scary good and so effortless I'm starting to wonder if you're human.” Victor had to smile at that as a scattering of laughter came from the audience.

“I think this was definitely the perfect song choice,” Minako said. “The others you had to pick from would have been good as well, but this suited your vocal range perfectly and it's a song that a lot of people are going to be introduced to via this performance. You have such amazing control and tone and so much feeling in your singing that there's no way anyone listening can't be drawn in. Such a great performance.”

“You are without a doubt one of the best modern rock vocalists out there,” Yakov said. “You deserve to be mentioned with the greats. This vocal was on point as always and shows that while many will try to follow your success by imitating you, you yourself will be a legend far after they've been forgotten.”

Victor flushed bright red at that, dipping his head and thanking Yakov even as he felt rather awkward at the high amount of praise. Morooka came over and commended him for his performance then gave his voting information before sending him back to the chairs and the show to a commercial break.

“I think that was my favorite performance of yours so far,” Phichit said. “That song is so amazing and it was perfect for you.”

“That melody line in the chorus is insane!” Chris said. “It's so hard to go up high like that while you're belting, I honestly don't know how you do it.”

“It's magic, it's got to be,” Yuri said. “I think we should make sure he doesn't have the points of his elf ears taped back or something.”

Victor broke into laughter at that. “It's called running vocal scales till you're sick of them and hearing them in your sleep,” he said. “All it is, is practice.”

Before anyone could respond the show came back from the break, with Morooka once again at center stage.

“Our final solo performance of the night is from Yuri. Come on up my friend,” Morooka began; Yuri rose and headed over accompanied by a raucous round of applause.

“You've made a rather interesting choice and you've also decided to change it up a bit,” he continued. “What's the story behind that?”

“Well, of the three songs the fans chose I liked “All I Ask” by Adele the best,” Yuri began. “I knew of this arrangement but tried the original, but then Takeshi brought this one up and we tried it, and it seemed to fit me a lot better. The arrangement was the one Bruno Mars, who wrote the song with Adele, [used when he covered it for a one-time performance](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCtYekG1qBc). It gives it a different feel but I think everyone will still like it.”

“All right, well this sounds very interesting so head on back to the band and let's hear it. Please give it up for Yuri Katsuki!”

Takeshi began the song with the keyboards in an 80s R&B jangly tone, and as Yuri began the song the melody line also had a corresponding R&B feel. The most impressive aspect was that the song was being done in the same key as the original, with Yuri's clear tone carrying over the room as he sang through the first chorus, hitting the high notes effortlessly. The backup singers added harmonies that began to build as the second chorus came up, with Yuri becoming more emotional as he sang the lyrics, which were hitting a lot harder considering recent events:

_If this is my last night with you_  
_Hold me like I'm more than just a friend_  
_Give me a memory I can use_  
_Take me by the hand while we do what lovers do_  
_It matters how this ends_  
_What if I never love again_  


As he got to the change of the song Yuri began to take a few more risks, beginning to improvise a few small runs and higher notes, his emotions starting to build. The entire studio had been completely silent, totally drawn in and enthralled by his passionate vocals. Many caught Takeshi's grin as Yuri neared the end of the change, singing the first “all I ask” in the current key, the band then coming in as he started to modulate upward. The band came in fully as he began to sing the chorus in an even higher key, the audience breaking into screams and cheers as he hit a few very high notes for the line “give me a memory I can use”. The band began to draw out the ending, with Yuri improvising even more, then breaking into a meandering, high-toned run reminiscent of his audition and then another for the word “again”. The band ended with a flourish before one last emphatic down note.

Just as the change had begun Yuri had ceased to notice the room around him, zoning in on the melody and feeling the same euphoria he'd captured only a few times prior. He felt his heart start to race as he nailed the modulation up into the last chorus, the adrenaline fueling the final, impressive runs where he pushed his highest range to the limit. As the song ended and he came back down to earth he looked up at the audience and found total chaos. Signs waving, deafening screams, everyone on their feet. He blinked and shook his head to get his bearings, looking down and seeing Mari absolutely bawling, which never, ever happened; beside her Taisia was screaming and clapping. As he stepped up to his mark he could see more of the first few rows and the rest of the eliminated contestants were on their feet, with Yura actually standing on his chair and screaming his lungs out; Yuri could just make out that he was yelling “FUCK YES KATSUKI FUCK YES!!” and it made him grin.

The judges waited for the insanity to die down before even attempting to speak; instead all three of them – even Yakov – were on their feet applauding as well until they were nudged by Seung Gil's signal to begin speaking to make the audience calm down as they threatened to run over time.

“Yuri... I don't know where this kind of performance from you has been hiding, but you have arrived at just the perfect time,” Minako began. “This was _spectacular._ The call to change up the arrangement was genius. Adele's version is beautiful but this suited you so much better. And that modulation? Oh my god! I think this is probably your best performance so far. We've seen hints of this level of prowess from you but this was absolutely stunning.”

“Yuri man... you are peaking at exactly the right time. I don't think anyone realized the level of control you have over your voice. We saw some really great and expressive performances from you but this? A whole other level,” Celestino said. “And you were already singing in a high key, but then taking it up a step? Seriously? You are _dangerous_ my friend, that performance snuck up on everyone and murdered the room.” Yuri had to laugh at that.

“You have announced your challenge, it's just up to the others to accept,” Yakov said. “My prediction of the Top Two stands, and you have given even more validation to it. A fantastic performance and a wise call to use the arrangement you did.”

The crowd erupted into more cheers and screams as Morooka walked up to congratulate Yuri, recite his voting information and send him back to the chairs. As Yuri walked back he could see Victor's megawatt grin from center stage, and it didn't fade as he got closer. Victor rose, spreading his arms wide and yelling “Yuriiii!!!”...

...and suddenly the crowd erupted into more chaos as Yuri found himself swept up into Victor's arms, with Victor trapping his mouth in a kiss. Yuri's feet nearly slipped out from under him and his arms flailed before he lashed them around Victor's back to stay upright. Once they regained their balance Victor pulled back, grinning from ear to ear.

“I wanted to do something to surprise you as much as you've surprised me,” Victor said. “This was the only thing I could think of.”

Normally, Yuri would have been mortified. But, somehow, as the flush came over him, all he could do was grin back at that beautiful smile and those sparkling blue eyes.

“Really?” he said softly. “Well... it worked.”

“I think Victor approved of Yuri's performance,” Morooka said, just as caught off guard as everyone else in the room was. Minako was giggling like a schoolgirl, Celestino was full-out guffawing, and Yakov even had a smirk on his face; Phichit and Chris might as well have had pom poms in their hands for as much as they were cheering and screaming. Yuri sat down, face bright red as Victor joined him, draping an arm around Yuri's shoulders as Chris and Phichit rose to head over to center stage for their duet, which was also the final performance of the night.

“Well that was certainly interesting!” Morooka laughed as Chris and Phichit stopped at their marks, the both of them still laughing as well. “Anyway, why don't you tell us about your duet song?”

“Well this was the other of the top two duet choices voted by the fans,” Chris said. “We actually tried out the song Yuri and Victor ended up doing and it didn't fit us as well as it did them, so we went with this one. It's a little different for both of us, but I think we can handle it.” Chris winked at Phichit, who nodded enthusiastically with his usual bright grin.

“All right guys, let's hear it then,” Morooka said; all three of them noticed Seung Gil giving the hand signal for “move it along” as due to the unexpected turn of events they were now running a bit later than they should have been. “Performing 'Hero' by Chad Kroeger and Josey Scott, here are Phichit and Chris!”

In response to Seung Gil's signal to move it along the band began to play a second or two before they grabbed their mics, the drumroll that started it leading into Chris' opening vocals. He injected his vocal with a bit of a growl again, the song not something he was used to singing but still handled admirably as Phichit came in with his harmony vocals, going up into a falsetto for the highest harmony notes in the chorus. In the second verse Phichit took the lead with Chris harmonizing; Phichit struggled a bit with the key even though it wasn't exceptionally low, but stabilized his tone after a few words. They switched parts for the second chorus, with Chris doing the harmony and Phichit singing the lead.

After a short musical interlude they moved into the breakdown, with Phichit taking the lead on the first half and Chris on the second. Both seemed to struggle in different parts of the song as it was one that was in neither of their prominent styles. Chris did his best to improvise a bit in the final chorus as Phichit anchored it down with the refrain of “watching us, watching us”, but both seemed to be a bit relieved as the song came to its end with them both singing the same notes, letting them fade out with the band as it came to rest. They both looked at each other as the crowd broke into applause, cheers and screams, their expressions telling each other that neither were quite happy with the performance as they took their marks at center stage.

“Well... you both sounded good, but I'm not really sure this was the best song choice for you,” Celestino said. “I think you guys should have taken “What You Own”, to be honest. I think both of your voices would have sat more comfortably in that song. This wasn't bad overall, but it wasn't great either. I get the feeling this song was voted for with a different person for at least one of the vocals in mind.” Both Chris and Phichit nodded as they remembered mentioning to Takeshi that the song would have worked much better with Yura and Chris rather than Phichit. In the audience, Yura bit his lip, feeling a bit guilty for having the same thought as well.

“I think your voices sounded really nice together, but both of you struggled with trying to sound more like the original, instead of giving it your own take,” Minako said. “You did nail the harmonies very well but I feel like you needed more time to get into a comfort zone with this song, which unfortunately due to the way things were picked, you didn't really have.” At that, Chris began to say something but without his mic raised; Minako encouraged him to do so.

“I feel like the songs should have been determined a week earlier, so we could have started playing with them,” Chris said. “Waiting to finalize things until the day before we began rehearsals did cut it a bit short.”

“Sometimes this is the type of situation you have when you are a professional musician,” Yakov said. “Sometimes there are musicians who have less than twenty-four hours to learn an entire set list when a band member takes ill for example. Regardless of how much or little time you had, when you committed to this song you should have made the best of it, and you did not do that.”

Over in the chairs, Yuri and Victor both cringed, feeling terrible for Chris and Phichit as Yakov seemed genuinely annoyed with the 'excuse' being offered, even though it hadn't been meant that way by Chris. They'd all had the same thought about that week's songs going in and had told the producers as such.

“How did you guys feel about the performance?” Morooka asked as he stepped up to them.

Phichit looked over at Chris, who nodded encouragingly. “I think we both probably wish it would have gone a bit better, but we did our best with it. We weren't exceptionally familiar with the song and the vocal styles were kind of different than our own, but I feel we did okay all things considered.”

“All right then, there you have it,” Morooka said. “Let's take one more look at everyone's performances and voting information.” The recap montage began to play as Yuri and Victor made their way over to center stage, with Victor hugging Chris and Yuri hugging Phichit. Thanks to Victor's impulsive reaction to Yuri's performance, a planned moment of conversation with the judges was cut for time which was just as well, with the Top Four lining up in a row at center stage once the montage ended.

“And that's our show for tonight everyone,” Morooka said. “Join us tomorrow night for the results, and a very special performance by someone who I think one of our contestants in particular will be interested in: Bruno Mars, along with Cardi B, will perform their current smash single 'Finesse' live right here on our stage!” The contestants hadn't been aware of the guest performer and Yuri gasped, eyes going wide as he covered his mouth with both hands; Victor squeezed his shoulders with an arm around them to make sure he stayed upright. “On behalf of our judges and contestants, have a great night everyone and we'll see you back here tomorrow. Morooka – out!!”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stealth update in the middle of the night? Why not! Happy Sunday ;)
> 
> In an occurrence that seemed to have its roots in the completely random and strange elimination of Chris Daughtry in fourth place in in the 2006 season of Idol, it became somewhat of a trend that a contestant that was considered a front runner was voted off somewhere between sixth and fourth place, usually after having an exceptionally good performance and quite often in the place of a contestant many couldn't wait to see gone. Perhaps the other best example of this was the late Michael Johns in Season 7, who was voted off after an amazing performance of "Dream On" in sixth place. Many called this usually infuriating elimination the "bullshit elimination". It would appear that Superstar Grand Prix is not immune to such things.
> 
> I have updated the [playlist](https://open.spotify.com/user/fallbackintome/playlist/0jJjh4a3fv5oXd7iSJMhSH?si=GMhZGKbTQf6E44_ippsnIg) with not only the contestants' solo songs and the duet songs, but also with all of the Wild Card songs that went unused.
> 
> As always, thank you for all your comments, kudos etc. and for taking the time to read this monster! Take care, and see you next chapter. :)


	16. Results - Week Nine and Live Shows - Week Ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You're just as good as either of us, just in a different way. We all are different, but we all have made it this far for a reason. And I'm going to be kicking both of your asses to stay on top of your game and make this a fair fight. I'll accept nothing less.”

**Post-Show Twitter Chatter – Fan Vote Week**

**@supervicturi** I TOTALLY CALLED IT PEOPLE I TOLD YOU VICTURI WAS REAL. There was NO WAY Yuri wasn't ok with that kiss which means it's not the first time it's happened. They are totally a couple and anyone that can't see it is TOTALLY BLIND. They HAVE to be top two now!! It's the only result.

**@PhichitFacts4U** THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH PHICHIT'S SONG WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK WAS THAT SHIT THE JUDGES SUCK AND YOU CAN TOTALLY TELL THEY WANT VICTOR TO WIN THIS IS ALL SO MUCH BULLSHIT I AM GOING TO QUIT WATCHING IF PHICHIT GETS VOTED OFF I VOTED WITH EVERY PHONE AND COMPUTER IN THE HOUSE

**@PhichitFacts4U** AND MY TWO FRIENDS' HOUSES AND THEN THEY VOTED AT THEIRS AND MINE AND PHICHIT BETTER BE IN THE TOP TWO WITH YURI FUCK VICTOR AND HIS OLD ASS GET HIM THE FUCK OUT HE SUCKS HE DOESN'T DESERVE TO WIN WITH HIS SCREECHING HE FUCKING SUCKS I AM SO FUCKING MAD THIS IS SO NOT FAIR

**@PhichitFacts4U** @supervicturi FUCK OFF BITCH AND TAKE VICSHIT WITH YOU

**@FabulousChris** @PhichitFacts4U No I'm gonna need Phichit to get in between Chris and his lame ass “boyfriend” give me a break they were fucking long distance and it took Chris becoming a star for Matheu to want him? Fuck that it's obvious Phichris is a Thing they both just need to realize it and hook up

**@PhichitFacts4U** FUCK YOU YOU KNOW CHRIS WAS RIDING VICSHIT'S DICK HE'S TAINTED PHICHYUU OR DEATH

**@MrsNikiforov** @FabulousChris um no? Chris had been trying to get through to Matheu way before he came on the show and Matheu wouldn't have flown all the way around the world to be there with him for the rest of the show if he didn't want things to work. Phichit and Yuri are BROTHERS, it's pretty obvious.

**@Yuraholic4Lyfe** omg how cute was it that Yura was cheering everyone on? Everyone thought he'd be pissed about being voted off and I'm sure he is but he was flipping his shit for Yuri and Victor especially. I love him he grew up so much on the show and he'll have an amazing career I can't wait!

**@BekasNo1Bitch** @Yuraholic4Lyfe OMG YES THEY WERE BOTH SO CUTE I WANTED TO DIEEEEEEEEEEEE SDHGASJGHAJGHSDGJDHJDGH

**@supervicturi** ANYWAY Yuri's performance tonight was next level OMG. That key change? uggghh whyyy couldn't I win the tix lottery for this week I would have LOVED to see that live! I hope he does that song on tour!! And Victor gave me chills on that song, he's gotten SO FUCKING GOOD I AM DEAD.

**@MrsNikiforov** @supervicturi I had never heard that song before but holy SHIT. So emotional and he sang it so incredibly well. I listened to the original and I like Victor's better, I've played Victor's track like 100x since I bought it an hour ago omg SO FUCKING AMAZING. He HAS to win. He just HAS to.

**@VictorsPet** Victor simply MUST win this. He is a PHENOMENAL singer. There is no one else that can do such amazing things as him. He is drop dead sexy and that voice can start fires. He's the most PERFECT rock star that EVER lived. I say this as a Freddie Mercury fanatic in my younger days.

**@GiaCUMetti** if chris doesn't win this idk what's wrong with the judges they're idiots victor screams all the time and yuri is so fuckin boring omg he looks like a nerd with those glasses chris is amazing and perf and i stg if he gets voted off imma stop watching and all my friends will too

**@ViktuuriBitch** can Viktor and Yuuri just be in a tie and both win and then fuck onstage can I just have this let me live

  
  


“Why do I do this? Why do I read Twitter? I think I'm traumatized now.”

“Victor, you were the one always telling _me_ not to read Twitter and here we are.”

Victor and Yuri were relaxing on the terrace after the show, taking in the refreshingly cool night air as they kicked back with a glass of wine. Usually it was Victor that was always telling the contestants not to read what was said about them, but his curiosity had gotten the better of him and now he was seriously regretting it.

“How did I end up with such... cra.... I don't want to say crazy but...” Victor sat back on the sofa, his free arm around Yuri's shoulders now that he'd set his phone down; Yuri cuddled to his chest in response, tucking his feet under him.

“I think it's just that they're the most vocal,” Yuri said. “I don't have too many crazy ones but the ones I do have I know by Twitter handle because they always have something to say. I turned off replies from anyone I'm not specifically following because it was insane. I'm glad pretty much everyone follows the show Twitters and I was able to keep my original one private. I never really used it but I locked it anyway.”

“I just... I hate that thing where they think they're defending you but they're actually being mean to people. There's no need for that. I keep wanting to address it but my previous experience with YouTube tells me it's not worth it,” Victor said. “And I seem to have a... different fan base from this show than I had with my channel.”

“Yeah, I noticed that too. We both kind of picked up on the American Idol fan base which is pretty much what I'm seeing on mine too. At least in the US it seems like the fans that watch are older. Which is fine... I mean, anyone that supports my music is welcome but...”

“Not when the older ones are as much into the drama as the emo teens,” Victor laughed. “But you're right. We're going to need everyone's support once we're off here, because once the show's done we're on our own.” He drained his wine glass and set it down on the end table. “So we'll just have to grin and bear it I suppose.”

“And stay off social media, at least reading the replies anyway,” Yuri laughed as he finished his own glass, setting it down on the table on the other side of the sofa. He then reached in and cuddled up to Victor, wrapping his arms around him.

“Anyway... what was with that kiss?” Yuri laughed again. “I was seeing everyone freak out about it on Twitter and on the official forums. I guess we've been outed as a... couple?”

Victor laughed at Yuri's playful “confusion”. “Well, maybe not a couple in the full sense yet... but we're a 'thing' at the very least, right?”

“We're not just a thing, we're everything,” Yuri said, quoting a line from RENT with a smirk; Victor laughed when he recognized it himself.

“You are such a damn theater nerd,” Victor said bemusedly.

“Hey, you're a music nerd so whatever. But yes... we're a 'thing'... right now everything seems really overwhelming though,” Yuri said. “And I'm really not looking forward to tomorrow...”

Victor nodded then, nuzzling into Yuri's hair. “Mm, yes. Whoever goes home, it's going to be really tough. I know how close you are to Phichit, and Chris has pretty much been my other best friend here since day one. And then there will be three of us left. I can't believe it's so close.”

“Right?” Yuri said. “Like Phichit said, it's making me sad that this is almost over, but at the same time, I can't wait to see what's next. And then, that's also scary too, having to figure out the next move alone.”

“You won't be alone. We'll all find our way. By the time the tour is over most of us will probably have some kind of guidance. We won't be completely on our own until after that. Till then we'll have each other and whatever happens along the way will happen.” Victor squeezed Yuri tightly then, at which the other man looked up to meet his eyes. “And besides... I'll be there too.”

“But... what if our careers take us in different directions? How will we make all of it work? How--”

Victor leaned in and cut Yuri's words short with a kiss then, lips trapping the anxious thoughts spilling forth. Yuri closed his eyes as Victor drew him in closer with his embrace, Yuri's own arms responding in kind. The kiss continued for a bit before both drew back for air, with Victor placing an extra soft kiss on Yuri's forehead.

“Don't worry so much. Everything will be fine. Take it one day at a time. By the time the tour is over, I think we will both have a better idea of where our lives are going. Let's just enjoy what we have for now and cross the bridges as they come,” he said, his tone soft.

“I just... I'm so afraid to lose everything... I've seen so many people from these shows just kind of disappear... I don't want that. I don't need to be a massive star... but I don't want to just go back home to Detroit or Hasetsu and have it all end...”

“It won't, Yuri. Not for you. You're far too talented to disappear. It's all in what you make of it. But whatever is going to happen, and however it will happen, isn't going to happen today, tomorrow or even next week, next month. Just breathe and take it as it comes.”

Yuri drew in a deep breath, exhaling sharply; he paused to take off his glasses, setting them behind him on the table before burying his face in Victor's shoulder, holding onto him tightly. Victor tightened his own embrace around Yuri, one hand rubbing over his back comfortingly.

“Thanks for talking me down,” Yuri murmured after a bit. “It's just... kind of hitting me now, I guess, that the end is so close... I was getting worried about university the same way and then all of this happened...”

“See? If something is meant to happen, it will. You just have to work for it. Everything will work out, Yuri, one way or another. I've been through enough ups and downs in my life to know that. I kept trying for the longest time to get a break like this and it finally happened. The biggest and most important thing you have to remember is because one opportunity ends, doesn't mean there isn't another to reach for. You just have to work hard to get there. If you don't, then you will be forgotten.”

Yuri raised his head then, looking into Victor's eyes and smiling softly; in response, Victor leaned in and gave him a soft, playful kiss on the lips followed by yet another one of those devastating smiles.

“You're pretty amazing, you know that?” Yuri said, affection coloring his tone.

“I've been told that before, but I never believed it. But when you say it, I do,” Victor replied, at which Yuri felt a flush over his face. “And anyway, you're pretty amazing yourself, you know.”

Yuri felt the second flush, this time taking over his whole body as he tightened his embrace around Victor. “I never believed it either... but when you say it... I do.”

Victor grinned, placing a kiss on both of Yuri's cheeks. “Good. Now, if we keep believing in each other, we can do anything, right?”

Yuri had to grin in return. “Right,” he agreed.

  
  


  
  


**The Next Day – Green Room After Results Show Dress Rehearsal**

“You have _got_ to be kidding me. Really?”

The four remaining contestants were relaxing backstage as they waited for the results show to begin, and had just received word after wondering what was up when there was no theme named, as to what was going to transpire next week. Chris was now shaking his head in disbelief as he sat at the table with the others.

“So basically, there's only one song choice that will be our own for the rest of the competition, is what they're saying,” Chris continued as he read the paper they'd been given.

“It seems that way,” Yuri said. “I had a feeling they'd take it out of our hands at some point though and when the list we got had “to be determined” for the last three weeks I knew this would happen.”

“So next week, Takeshi and... “the producers” are choosing our songs,” Victor said. “I wonder if that means Morooka? He's the executive producer.”

“If it is, they probably don't want to say that because how awkward would that be if we bombed the song he chose for us?” Phichit said. “Or even in general, him talking to us after the song he chose? It would just be... weird.”

“I just don't like not being able to choose my own songs,” Chris said. “At least with the fan vote we got three songs plus the leftovers from Mila and Yura to choose from. This just kind of sucks because you're at their mercy.”

“It's a challenge to be sure, but they want to see you step up. Think about it, Chris. How often do you hear about artists getting record deals and sure, they might get to write their own songs but also, they give you songs to do, which you then have to make your own. That's what this is about: How well you can adapt to what they throw at you. On the surface it feels like they're fucking around but it's really just a dose of reality,” Victor said. “It's actually going to be incredibly important going forward how we handle that.”

“When you put it that way I kinda like it,” Phichit said. “I like the idea of them giving us something we might not usually do and kicking ass on it.”

“And then flipping them the bird afterward,” Chris said. “Hm, well all right I guess I can see your point. But I do suppose one of us won't have to worry about that in a few hours.”

“You just _had_ to bring that part up,” Yuri said with a fake dramatic eyeroll. “Okay Debbie Downer.”

“But it's true!” Chris grinned. “I just hope it's not me.”

“I'd rather it be no one, but unfortunately it has to be,” Victor said. “But I guess that's why they haven't given us our songs yet. I hope they give them to us after the show though because I don't want to take tomorrow off. I want to get working on them not like this past week.”

“Seriously, we'll need the extra time,” Yuri said. “Hopefully they'll at least give us songs we're familiar with.”

“What fun would that be?” Phichit said. “If they're going to surprise us might as well go all the way with it.”

“If I got voted off, I wouldn't want to know though,” Yuri said. “I'd be thinking forever about how I could have done on the songs given the chance and it would piss me off.”

Phichit's face screwed up into a grimace then. “Ehh, yeah, good point. That would be annoying.”

Just then Seung Gil poked his head into the room. “Half an hour guys,” he said, then hurried off.

“Well, the countdown begins,” Victor said. “Let's run through the vocals on the group number a time or two more.”

  
  


  
  


_Going to cold open montage in 5...4...3...2...1!_

**Morooka, voiceover:** _Footage of the Top Four's solo performances_ Last night, our Top Four Superstars took on songs you, the viewers, chose for them  _Footage of the duets_ as well as duets for the first time on our stage.  _Shots of each as they are named:_ Chris. Phichit. Yuri. Victor. They are the Final Four, the best of the best... but one must leave us tonight. Who will it be? Stay tuned. THIS... is Superstar Grand Prix!!  _Cut to logo screen, then Morooka entrance with theme music._

Morooka walked out to the usual applause, the cameras zooming in on him as he waved and grinned at the audience; as the opening theme music ended he went into his usual monologue to introduce the judges and the sequence was repeated. As they waited behind the screen, Victor mused that he could probably sleepwalk through the opening of both the performance and results shows by this point. At least they'd begun to change up the contestant eliminations a bit, but that was by necessity more than anything else.

“All right everyone, before we get to the results we have a couple of amazing performances waiting for you. First up are the Top Four Superstars, performing the song that you, the viewers at home, chose for this week's group song. Performing “Under Pressure” by Queen and David Bowie, here are our Top Four Finalists!”

The screens rose as the band began the introduction to the song while the final four Superstars walked out toward the front of the stage. The four of them sang in unison for the first part, then Victor took Freddie Mercury's part and Chris took David Bowie's with Yuri and Phichit backing them up. They fanned out across the stage as Phichit then took Freddie's part in the second verse, singing in his high range, then trading it off to Yuri to handle Bowie's part. As the change came up the four of them did the finger snaps, with Victor and Chris taking Freddie's and Bowie's part respectively, with Victor singing in a soft falsetto. The crowd burst into cheers and screams as Victor then took Freddie's ascending high notes as Chris growled Bowie's “love” part with the same echo effect on his voice as on the recording, then singing the line that followed. Phichit then took the “why can't we give love” verse before the four of them all began to sing together again, first in unison then breaking out into four part harmony for the “this is our last dance” bridge before ending with turning toward the band, backs to the audience walking away from the crowd as they sang the “under pressure” refrain, the band coming to rest as they all snapped their fingers in unison, the stage fading to black. As the crowd went crazy the lights came back up so the four could take their bows, after which the show went to commercial. They then headed over to their seats, sitting down in the same order they had the night before: Chris, Victor, Phichit and Yuri.

“So it seems like they're going to drag things out this week,” Yuri said with an eyeroll. “First part of the eliminations before Bruno's performance, the rest after.”

“They can't make it easy,” Chris said. “They don't have enough people left to screw around with now, and they still have half an hour to fill.”

“Oh god that's right,” Phichit said. “I can only imagine what Morooka's got planned for the next segment. I'm kind of dreading it, I can already feel the awkward and it hasn't even happened yet.” The other three contestants broke into laughter then as the show returned from break with the flurry of activity that marked the preparations for Bruno's performance concealed behind the double screens, the foremost of which had the show's logo emblazoned on it.

“All right, I know everyone is anxious to know the results from tonight, so let's get started,” Morooka began. “May I have the final four to center stage please?” They all rose and made their way over, accompanied by the cheers and screams of the crowd. As they took their places, the four men once again locked hands in a show of mutual support. “Yuri, step forward.”

“You sang “All I Ask” by Adele. Minako said it was absolutely stunning. Celestino said you are peaking at the right time. And Yakov said you have announced your challenge.” He then turned to Victor, asking him to step over next to Yuri.

“Victor, you sang “Starlight” by Slash and Myles Kennedy. Celestino said the vocal was scary good. Minako said it was a perfect song choice. And Yakov said you are without a doubt one of the best rock vocalists out there.” There were some applause and cheers in response to that.

“Yuri and Victor, your duet was “What You Own” from RENT. Celestino said you were pretty evenly matched. Minako said she got chills. And Yakov said that Victor is consistently good, and that Yuri is beginning to reach another level.” There were more cheers from the audience as he then turned to Chris and Phichit, who had moved in to stand together; he asked Chris to step forward first.

“You sang “Centuries” by Fall Out Boy. Yakov said he's not certain this persona fits you. Celestino said the vocal was blazing. And Minako said she was not sure she was totally buying it.” He then turned to Phichit, asking him to step forward.

“You sang “Break Free” by Ariana Grande. Celestino said it was just okay. Minako said you sang it as well as Ariana herself. And Yakov felt the song was below your skill as a vocalist.” There was a scattering of boos from the crowd.

“Your duet was “Hero” by Chad Kroeger and Josey Scott. Celestino said it wasn't bad, but it wasn't great. Minako said that both of you struggled. And Yakov said you did not make the best of it.” Morooka then stood between the two pairs.

“Two of you are safe, and two of you are in the bottom,” he continued. “I will send one of you back to safety right now and that person is...” a drawn-out pause where the crowd began to shout their guesses.

“...Yuri, you are safe, head back to the chairs my friend.” Chris' eyes went wide as he looked over at Victor, who shrugged and offered a wink in return. Yuri stopped to give Chris and Phichit a hug before going back to the chairs.

“Who is the other person safe tonight? We'll find out in a bit. But when we come back, we'll have an amazing performance from Bruno Mars and Cardi B! Don't go anywhere folks!” The show then cut to break, with Seung Gil directing the other three contestants to head back to the chairs for now.

“There is no way in hell Victor's in the bottom,” Phichit said. “They couldn't be any more obvious.”

“I don't know,” Victor said. “Look at what happened to Yura last week. No one saw that coming.”

“Oh please, even if you are in the bottom two, you're sure as hell not going home,” Chris said. “I refuse to believe it. Besides, they haven't said the results were shocking this week.”

Yuri blinked at that. “That's true, they didn't make a big deal of it... which...”

“Eh, yeah it is a little insulting I guess,” Phichit said.

“Don't assume you're in the bottom,” Yuri said.

“Someone has to be,” Phichit said, his usual optimism seeming to falter a bit more.

“Oh stop,” Yuri said, trying to push down the nagging feeling in his stomach. “Let's not jump to conclusions.”

As the show returned from break and Morooka introduced Bruno Mars and Cardi B, for about five minutes the eliminations were forgotten as [they recreated their Grammy performance](https://youtu.be/6OcOO1k-vGE), the stage a riot of color and sound as they performed. All four contestants got out of their seats and were dancing, with Yuri singing along and surprising Victor and Chris by even rapping along, which Phichit had known he could do but he'd not shown the others. When the performance was done Morooka took a couple of minutes to talk to the two artists, with the pair promoting their joint tour before the show went to break. Before leaving the stage they came over to wish the contestants well, with Bruno reminding Yuri that he'd called him as the winner quite some time back and that he fully expected to be invited to the victory party. Once they were gone all four contestants burst into giddy laughter.

“Oh my god we might as well all go home, Yuri's already won,” Phichit laughed.

“He's pretty sure about that hm?” Chris said. “What does he know that we don't, Yuri?”

“Nothing!” Yuri laughed. “But it means a lot that he thinks that way. I don't think he's right though.”

“Well, who do you think will win?” Victor teased, knowing Yuri wouldn't answer; the other man confirmed it by sticking his tongue out playfully as the call to 30 seconds to live went out, at which Victor, Phichit and Chris were requested to return to center stage to continue the results.

“All right, we are back with our results,” Morooka continued. “I will send one more Superstar back to safety right now. And that person is...” Once again, a pause wherein the audience began to shout their guesses.

“...Victor, you are safe. Head on back to the chairs.” The crowd erupted into approving screams and cheers as Victor paused to give both Chris and Phichit a quick hug before heading back over to Yuri.

“And so we have our bottom two,” Morooka said, turning to the judges. “Judges, how are you feeling about these results so far?”

“Unfortunately, based on the performances from yesterday I think they're accurate,” Celestino said. “Yuri and Victor stepped it up last night and were the better performers.”

“This was the last week that song choice by the contestants was a factor,” Minako said. “Being this close to the end, I'd have expected them to choose more wisely than they did. I honestly think that's what this has come down to. Not the fact that they're not talented, because they obviously both are. But the wrong song choice can change everything.” Yakov nodded in agreement.

“All right then... let's find out who is heading back to safety,” Morooka said, turning to Phichit and Chris, who had wrapped an arm around each other. “The Superstar... that is going to the Top Three... is...” Another long, dramatic pause where the audience screamed their guesses; both Phichit and Chris tried to tune it out.

“...Chris, you are in the Top Three. Phichit, I'm sorry, but you are going home tonight.”

Victor turned to Yuri next to him, immediately wrapping an arm around his shoulders as Yuri buried his face in his hands. Over in the row of seats in the audience with the rest of the top 12, almost all of them wore shocked faces, while on the other side in the family section, Phichit's mother teared up as her husband patted her back consolingly.

Chris pulled Phichit into a tight hug, tearing up himself. “Oh god... I did not expect this at all...”

“No... I kind of did... between the two of us, you did better with your song. I should have listened to Yuri and did “Beat It”. It's okay though... we still have the tour, you're not rid of me yet.” Chris found himself laughing softly at that as they broke the embrace, with Chris stepping back and applauding Phichit for a few moments before waving absently and going back over to the chairs. He sat down on the other side of Yuri, draping an arm over Yuri's shoulders as put his glasses back on after wiping at his eyes.

“I'm sorry,” Chris said. “I know you probably wanted him to stay till the end.”

Yuri smiled sadly. “It's not your fault. I'm just happy we made it this far together. And he won't be far away.”

“I'll still miss him though,” Victor said as the retrospective montage of Phichit's time on the show ended and he began his song, a reprise of “Defying Gravity”. “He was the comedy relief we all needed most of the time.”

“He always has been,” Yuri smiled. “I'll miss him too. It will be the first time we haven't been roomies in almost six years.”

“At least it's only for a couple of weeks,” Chris said as they rose to go to center stage, at which Yuri frowned.

“I don't know about that,” he said, turning quickly then to jog over to Phichit as he finished, breaking down into tears as he hugged his longtime best friend. Chris and Victor exchanged a glance, deciding to keep their thoughts to themselves as they both hugged Phichit as well.

“And that's our show for tonight everyone,” Morooka announced. “Next week, the Top Three will take on songs chosen for them by our producers and our own band leader Takeshi Nishigori. We're down to the wire folks and you won't want to miss next week's showdown! Until then, on behalf of our judges and contestants, have a great night and we'll see you back here next week. Morooka – out!”

The show went off the air then and the judges came up onto the stage for their usual post-show talk with the eliminated contestant as well as the remaining contestants. Some in the audience lingered for a bit, including the family members and the rest of the Top 12, eventually being allowed on stage once the general audience was gone. Everyone milled about, most expressing sympathy to Phichit and reassuring Chris that, as Phichit had also said, it really could have gone either way.

At one point Phichit found himself outside of the group, which was slowly beginning to break up as plans were made for a dinner in the restaurant of the hotel the families of the contestants were staying at. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Seung Gil coming up next to him and he stepped a few paces further away from the group as the stage manager came up to him.

“Tough break huh,” Seung Gil said. “I honestly thought you'd make it to Top Three easily. I'm pretty shocked, not going to lie.”

Phichit shrugged, smiling with a mixture of the usual weekly exhaustion and a bit of sadness. “It is what it is. Chris put more effort into his song this week. I was stubborn and didn't listen. You'd think I'd have learned what happens when you do that by watching JJ,” he smirked. “I tried to do what the fans wanted but I forgot to look out for myself in the process. I picked the wrong song.”

“I can't see you not having a great career though,” Seung Gil said. “You're gonna land on your feet, I'm sure of it.”

“Yeah, everyone keeps telling me that. I'll be okay. I'm more bummed to be leaving the house. I'll miss those guys.”

“You'll have plenty of time to get sick of them on the tour. It's up to three months and 60 dates so far spread out through the 10 countries they held auditions in.”

“What?? Wow, it's getting pretty big isn't it?” Phichit said.

“Yeah, lots of travel. I'm going to be doing the stage managing for it. It's going to be my first live tour. I'm pretty excited,” Seung Gil said.

“So you're going to be along for the ride then,” Phichit confirmed.

“Yes. They already have a tentative set list based on the most popular tracks in sales from iTunes. They'll have it complete once we have a winner. But since I worked all of the production and they'll be using a copy of this stage set it only makes sense. Most of the crew will be going too.”

“As long as the judges stay home I'll be happy,” Phichit said.

Seung Gil laughed at that. “I'm sure they'll all be busy with their own stuff. But I bet it will be nice to perform and not have to worry about being critiqued.”

Phichit nodded. “That will be nice.” He turned to see who was left milling about the stage, and saw Victor and Yuri standing together, talking to Taisia and Mari; he then turned back to Seung Gil.

“So... everyone's going to dinner after this,” Phichit said. “Do you have to stay here?”

Seung Gil blinked at that, until he remembered: Phichit was no longer an active contestant on the show. “I have a few things to wrap up,” he replied. “If Morooka lets me out of here on time, I might be able to stop by.”

Phichit nodded at that. “Okay... I guess if it doesn't work out I'll catch up with you when I get back from my press tour then.”

Seung Gil paused as a message came through his headset. “I've got your number. I'll let you know as soon as I can if I can make it.” The crew leader then called for the stage to be cleared, and the remaining stragglers began to head offstage.

“All right,” Phichit said. “I hope you can though.” He paused as Yuri called to him from the stage door.

“You know what, maybe you should spend time with everyone tonight,” Seung Gil said. “We'll catch up when you get back. I honestly don't know what time I'll get out of here, and it might end up being too late.”

Phichit blinked at that, then sighed. “All right. See you... soon then, I guess.” And with one last call from Yuri, Phichit turned and headed off the stage. As he caught up with Yuri in the hallway leading back to the green room, Yuri frowned curiously.

“What was that about?” Yuri asked.

“Nothing,” Phichit said sullenly. “I... still don't feel like I can trust him. He just gave me a weird vibe when I asked him if he could come to dinner.”

“Eh, it's probably nothing. Takeshi says he stays here till super late sometimes. Morooka has him doing a lot of other stuff besides his regular job.”

“I guess. We'll see what happens when I get back from the press tour. But for now I'm starving and then I just want to get home and... I guess I have to pack.”

Yuri sighed as they sat down in the green room to regroup. “Yeah... I guess so. This really sucks. I thought we'd make it till the end together. But with Chris and Victor as my competition, I wouldn't be surprised if I follow you next week.”

“Don't think that way!” Phichit said. “You know you can keep up with either one of them.”

“They're more of a similar type of performer though,” Yuri said. “They're both way theatrical and both have really crazy voices. I'm just me.”

“But 'you' is pretty amazing,” Phichit said. “Don't count yourself out until you actually are... but I honestly don't think you will be.”

“I guess. It's not going to be the same without you though,” Yuri said.

“You've got Victor now though,” Phichit smiled.

“Still not the same,” Yuri said with a heavy sigh. “I don't know how I feel about anything right now.”

“Don't give up!” Phichit said. “If you flake out on this I'll kick your ass. You have to make it to Top Two. You deserve to be there, Yuri. You've grown too much and come too far to not go all the way now.”

Yuri smirked then as he draped an arm over Phichit's shoulders. “Shouldn't I be the one consoling you?”

“I'll be fine,” Phichit said. “Yeah it sucks to be out, but to be honest if it wasn't this week it was gonna be next week. And besides, I won't be all that far away. And finale rehearsals start soon too.”

“Leave it to you to find the silver lining in all of this,” Yuri laughed as Victor called to them to get their things cleared out of the dressing rooms in prep for catching the shuttle bus back to the mansion.

“C'mon, how long have you known me? It's what I do!” Phichit grinned.

  
  


  
  


After returning home from a very long dinner that all of the Top 12 and assorted family members ended up attending despite the majority of them no longer being on the show, Phichit, Yuri, Victor and Chris returned to the mansion. After one last drink together Chris and Victor headed to bed while Phichit and Yuri went to their room, with the pair staying up most of the night talking while Phichit packed. Both had barely gotten two hours of sleep before Phichit's alarm went off and he had to get ready to leave; first to get checked into the hotel room he'd be staying at for the rest of his time in Los Angeles, and then to fly out to New York City to begin making the rounds of the various morning and talk shows for the post-elimination press tour. Phichit refused to let his leaving be sad in any way, reassuring Yuri especially that he'd be yelling like a fool from the audience for next week's shows and also reminding them that rehearsals for the finale results show would also be starting, and that they were definitely not rid of him yet.

Even so, Yuri was in quite the sullen mood as he watched the shuttle bus head down the winding driveway up to the mansion, following it until it was swallowed up by the trees far below. He'd quite honestly hoped that Phichit would see it through all the way to the end with him, and had secretly hoped that if one of them had to go, that it would be Yuri himself first. Navigating the show had been much easier with Phichit's eternal optimism, and even though he still had Victor on his side, that relationship, such as it was, was still relatively new. The comfort and familiarity of Phichit's presence was completely different, and Yuri wasn't certain how he'd get by without it.

His sleep-deprived (and, if he was being honest, hungover) state wasn't helping his mood, so while Chris and Victor went to the kitchen to clean up from breakfast Yuri made his way upstairs, flopping into bed and falling asleep almost immediately. He'd only been asleep about an hour when he was awakened by someone gently shaking him; a moment later as he came to he realized Victor was softly calling his name.

“Yuri... hey, wake up. We just got texts with the songs they're giving us, and they want us on the lot for rehearsals in two hours.” He felt the bed dip as Victor sat down next to him, rubbing his back softly as he tried not to startle Yuri awake.

“Ohhhhhhh goooooooddd I didn't really sleep at all, today is so not going to go well,” Yuri moaned as he reached for his phone to check the text. He read the songs, eyebrows raising.

“Good or bad?” Victor asked. In response, Yuri showed him the text, and Victor's eyebrows also raised.

“Woooooow, well shit, you'll nail both those songs!” Victor replied; he then showed Yuri the text he'd received as well, and it was Yuri's turn to be impressed.

“Oh man. I might as well pack my bags,” he laughed. “You're going to kick ass on those. What did Chris get?”

“Oh you'll hear about it. He's not particularly happy. One of the songs he got neither of us have even heard of, it's apparently a newer artist that is known a bit in the US but not really too well elsewhere.”

“I'm sure he'll be fine, Chris can adapt to anything.” Yuri sat up then, reflexively looking over to Phichit's bed, and frowning sadly when its perfectly made state reminded him that Phichit was gone, prompting Victor to wrap his arms around Yuri.

“How are you doing?” Victor asked as Yuri returned the embrace, laying his head on Victor's shoulder.

“I'll miss him, even if it isn't for very long,” Yuri said. “I really thought we'd make it all the way together.”

“Chris is still feeling guilty about it, and he's made the mistake of looking online. Phichit's fans are pissed off, and apparently they're vowing to throw their votes behind you this week now.”

“Oh god he has to not read all that. He shouldn't give up. You both deserve to be in the Top Two. That will be one hell of a final,” Yuri said; he was surprised when Victor's face turned sad momentarily.

“You shouldn't give up either, you know,” Victor said. “You deserve to be there just as much.”

“But I'm not as g--” Before he could voice his thought Victor had laid an index finger over Yuri's lips, silencing him.

“You're just as good as either of us, just in a different way. We all are different, but we all have made it this far for a reason. And I'm going to be kicking both of your asses to stay on top of your game and make this a fair fight. I'll accept nothing less.”

  
  


  
  


**Eros Entertainment Studio Lot – Production Meeting With Seung Gil and Minako**

As Victor had hoped, Takeshi had also sent a text to the Top Three informing them that once they were finished with their scheduled meeting with Minako and Seung Gil, that they'd begin work on their designated songs. But first, the trio had assembled in the same conference room that the preliminary meetings about the finale ideas were held, with Minako and Seung Gil coming in shortly thereafter bearing coffee and donuts, which the trio gratefully accepted, especially the coffee.

“I knew you all would be tired, and I know this is your usual day off,” Minako said. “But there's so much coming up now in the next few weeks that I don't think you'll have that luxury anymore, as unfortunate as it is.”

“It's fine, at least for me,” Victor said. “I really wanted to have that extra day to work on my songs.”

“Yeah, I didn't agree with how they sprung the Fan Vote songs on you guys,” Minako said. “So I fought for you all to start early, and the compromise was losing your day off.”

“To be honest, working on the songs isn't all that hard,” Yuri said. “I don't really mind it.”

Chris nodded. “Well everyone knows my opinion on that so I'll just be over here,” he grinned, with the others breaking into laughter in response.

“Okay, so, the reason I pulled the three of you in was because your extra finale performances will involve dance,” Minako said. “I want to help you all out with that. Have you finalized your ideas yet?”

Victor nodded. “I have a routine I worked up for a concept rock opera type dance piece. It was songs that were connected together for a story, kind of like Rock of Ages. I never got to make that work because of music rights, but I think I'd love to do my solo from that. But I don't think I'm going to go en pointe. I won't be able to walk afterward.”

Minako cringed at that. “I can only imagine, I know you had it rough after you filmed that segment doing it. That's fine, I'm excited to see it! Just let us know what the music is and we'll get the rights cleared.” Victor nodded at that.

“Yuri, we talked about you redoing that piece you composed and choreographed,” Minako said; Yuri nodded in response.

“Yes... I... I want to do it. I've been keeping up with it and I've gotten it pretty much fine-tuned now, made some upgrades since I've learned more since then.”

“All right, just make sure Takeshi has the music so he can work it out with the band and we'll do that. And Chris?”

The wicked grin that spread across Chris' face tipped Yuri and Victor off right away that there was about to be a bit of Giacometti snark laid down. “I will do a pole routine to “Centuries”. I've been working on it already,” he replied.

For a moment, Minako didn't catch the reference until Seung Gil couldn't contain the burst of laughter. She crossed her arms, making a vague attempt to stare him down but ending up laughing herself.

“Touch�é,” she laughed. “Will you be singing it too?”

Chris broke into laughter himself at that. “I'm kidding. I just couldn't resist,” he winked; Minako gasped and pretended to take back his coffee and donut, bringing everyone in the room to laughter. Victor's lack of sleep caught up with him and he buried his face in his hands, laughing uncontrollably and muttering “you're such an asshole!” behind them, which in turn cracked up Yuri more. Chris continued once everyone had settled down.

“But in seriousness, I do think I'm going to do a new routine I was working on before I auditioned for the show. I just have to finalize what song I want. I know it's cleared as it was on the lists we were given last December.”

“All right, sounds good. Just be sure to let Seung Gil know in the next few days what the song is, and what kind of apparatus you'll need and we'll get that squared away,” Minako said. “I need to get going for now, but you guys can discuss what kind of lighting you'll want with Seung Gil, and he'll get that put into motion. I'll see you for your recording sessions on Saturday.” She rose, giving each man a handshake before taking her leave. The trio then discussed their ideas for lighting and staging concepts with Seung Gil for another half hour or so before the meeting ended and they headed down the hall to Takeshi's rehearsal room.

“All right guys, I'm stoked about this,” Takeshi began as they sat on the sofa in the room. “How are you all feeling about your songs?”

“I'm... a little concerned, only because I'm not very familiar with the one you chose,” Chris said. “Although I did listen and I do like it.”

“Oh! I meant to mention, that guy is from Michigan so I've actually heard of him a decent amount,” Yuri said. “A lot of people at my school knew about him.”

“That's pretty interesting,” Chris said. “What do you think of the song then?”

“To be honest, I can see how it fits you,” Yuri said. “If you watch the video for the song you'll get it.”

“Well, let's start with your ideas for it Takeshi,” Chris said. “And let me watch this video too.” He pulled out his phone and did so, with Yuri and Victor crowding in on either side of him to watch as Takeshi listened to the song as it played through the Bluetooth speaker in the room.

“Oh come on Chris, you can pull this off,” Victor said. “It makes sense now that I've seen the video.”

Chris nodded. “Yes, I can see what made you choose it now,” he said to Takeshi. “All right, let's do this. I'll have to read the lyrics off for today but I should have them down by tomorrow for the most part.”

“Sounds good. Let's roll with that,” Takeshi said, getting the band ready to go as Victor and Yuri took their leave to the practice room across the hall to play with their songs as well. “We can play with this a bit till you get a feel for it, then work on your Producers' Choice for the second half of your hour.”

  
  


“Yuri, you seriously have nothing to worry about. I think these two songs showcase both sides of you extremely well.”

Takeshi was nearing the end of his hour of time with Yuri, who had already fallen into second-guessing his songs a bit as he let thoughts of Victor and Chris' much more flashy and theatrical performances inform his state of mind.

“I just... I feel like Chris and Victor just are different types of performers and they're better at something I can't pull off,” Yuri said. “Sure I can dance and stuff but I just don't have the same kind of presentation as they do. I feel like I need to take more risks and I'm not sure these songs are going to do it.”

“You don't always have to be flashy to get people to notice. I mean, your song last week, and what you did with it? It stood up to Chris and Victor then. You underestimate how well you put yourself out there and how well you interpret music, Yuri. I think if you tried to change things after building on who you are as an artist after all this time, it will seem disingenuous, maybe even outright fake. Part of being relatable and believable is to stand by who you are as a person and an artist,” Takeshi said.

Yuri sighed heavily, nodding as he knew Takeshi was right. To change everything about who he was now would be a huge mistake. “I... I know. At least in my head I do. I guess... I just worry too much sometimes. Well maybe not sometimes.”

“When you think about it, all three of you can only do so much. You all are going to be yourselves for better or for worse and work with these songs as best you can. If the last two weeks have shown anything it's that anyone can go at any time, and it's not even just about talent anymore. Whoever goes this week is going to go because someone has to,” Takeshi said.

“Yeah, we've been saying that for the last few weeks too,” Yuri said. “It's just... if I have to go, I want to know I did everything I could, you know? I don't want to leave anything on the table that people can say 'well if he'd done that...' that I'll then have to regret.”

“Well then, over the next few days we'll cover all the bases,” Takeshi said. “But we're going to do it within the framework of who you are and who you've become over the course of the show. Because at the end of the day that will speak for itself.”

  
  


“Oh _man_. I have fuckin' _chills_. God _damn!”_

Victor had just finished his runthrough of the song Takeshi had chosen for him, and despite reading the words off of his phone as he knew the song but not very well, he'd managed to nail it regardless.

“You said you don't know this song?” Takeshi questioned.

“Well, I mean it is a classic. I've heard it a lot over the years so I'm familiar with the melody and such. But I was never a huge fan of the band itself. When I got the text and saw it as one of my songs I listened to the original and I wasn't super impressed by it. But I remembered a live cover I'd heard once that moved me a lot more. So that's where my delivery is coming from,” Victor said.

“I really like what you're doing with it,” Takeshi confirmed. “If they don't use this as the show closer they're stupid.”

Victor laughed at that. “They usually determine the final order once they've seen the rehearsals, so I wouldn't be surprised if they do. I just need to work on the lyrics for this a bit more because I'm still getting the verses mixed up a little when I try to do it without reading them. I also have to really concentrate on presentation because the song itself is sort of sparse vocally. It's a challenge to be sure.”

“But one I knew you'd be up for,” Takeshi said. “Both of your songs contrast very nicely. Neither side knew what the other had chosen until we submitted them so I'm glad it worked out like it has.”

“It's a bit of musical whiplash,” Victor smiled. “But that will be the fun part about it.”

  
  


  
  


The day ended up being extremely long for the three remaining contestants. After working with Takeshi they were sent into a styling session with Georgi, who they discussed their ideas with for wardrobe. The stylist was overjoyed about getting to choose three outfits rather than the two he'd done up per week to this point, and already had a million ideas by the time the trio finished their meeting with him. They were then given the use of the practice room for two hours of extra rehearsal time on their own, and then offered the use of the dance studio to work on ideas for their finale dance pieces, which was now only two and a half weeks away. By the time the three of them returned to the mansion it was late evening. They all barely made it through dinner with their eyes open, with Victor actually jabbing Chris in the side with his elbow when the other man nearly faceplanted into his plate while almost dozing off mid-bite.

Yuri had returned to his room and after a shower, sat on the bed looking around the room, mind working overtime. They hadn't even gotten to the weekend yet but his thoughts were already in next week's performance show. Too anxious to sleep despite his own exhaustion he picked up his guitar and headed for one of the soundproofed bedrooms that had been converted into makeshift practice rooms. As he headed down to the end of the hall on the first floor, which was eerily quiet now without the muffled-through-the-door background noise of Nikolai's television in his room, Yuri stopped at the glass-walled gym when he saw Victor inside.

The Russian was dressed in full dance gear: white tank-top, leggings, dance shoes and legwarmers. He was playing music that Yuri recognized as a classic rock instrumental he'd heard used for some things over the years and had always liked; he'd even learned to play the guitar parts at one point. As he watched, Victor went through an intricate and powerful dance routine, full of tight, fast pirouettes and stag leaps, the style a mix of classical ballet and modern. His muscular body made beautiful shapes against the glow from the lighted pool outside the other glass wall on the opposite side of the gym, the only light Victor had opted to use for his practice. Yuri mused to himself that it was probably a good thing that he and Victor weren't competitors in dance as well; he'd most certainly lose to Victor's striking, Baryshnikov-esque power. Yuri opted not to disturb him, instead turning to the right and heading to one of the first-floor bedroom/practice rooms.

In the gym Victor had just finished the fourth runthrough of the routine he hadn't really done in quite some time, when out of the corner of his eye he spotted some movement outside the glass wall behind him as he hit the ending pose. He turned just in time to see Yuri heading down the hallway with his guitar. Deciding he'd had enough of dance for the night and feeling his body calling for rest anyway after a previous night of little sleep and a long day staving off the effects of a mild hangover, Victor headed upstairs to his room for a quick shower. Overtired to the point of being wide awake and finding Chris already fast asleep, Victor then decided to head downstairs to see what Yuri was up to.

In the practice room, which was a huge bedroom with the queen size bed still present but hung with soundproofing foam and set up with Yuri's keyboard (and had also contained Phichit's musical equipment before his departure), Yuri was finishing his sixth runthrough of the song he was less familiar with out of the two he'd been given. He wasn't nervous about the song Takeshi had given him – in fact, it was another of his favorites, by an artist whose work he'd already done on the show, so that song could wait as he actually knew it quite well. The Producers' Choice, however, was one he'd only really heard in passing on the radio and hadn't given a whole lot of thought to, so he was determined to commit it to memory as Takeshi had encouraged him to play acoustic guitar for it as well.

He was just about to begin another playthrough of the guitar part, quitting singing for the night as his throat was feeling a bit tired, when he heard a knock on the door. Knowing it could only be one of two people and that one of them was pretty unlikely, he couldn't suppress a smile as he answered the knock with an invitation to enter, at which Victor did just that.

“I would ask why you're not sleeping, but then I'd have to answer the same question,” Victor said with a smile as he came over, facing Yuri as he sat on the window bench seat with its view of the pool, ground floor terrace and hot tub outside.

“I'm just worried about my songs is all,” Yuri said. “I'm not super familiar with the one the producers gave me even if it is a newer song. I'm not a huge fan of the artist even though I've been getting compared to him.”

“Yeah, it seems like we all got one song that we're having to do extra learning with,” Victor said. “Not sure if that's by chance or design, but at least that worked out more or less fairly. How's it going?”

“I think I'll be okay,” Yuri said. “Now I just have to hope my performances stand up to yours and Chris'.”

“Why wouldn't they?” Victor asked.

“Like I said to Takeshi, the two of you are so much more about showmanship. If you were in a band, you'd be the frontman. I'm one of the people who would be in the back. I never really pictured myself as a solo artist; I think I was steering more toward being like Takeshi, someone who writes music, holds down a band as the musical director, stuff like that. I think it's pretty obvious who the top two is going to be.”

“Now you stop that,” Victor said. “You're just as good as either of us. Just because you have a different way of performing doesn't mean you don't measure up to us. If you keep thinking like that you'll stop trying and you better not do that.”

“I won't stop trying,” Yuri said. “I just...” He stopped then, burying his face in his hands, voice muffled into them as he spoke. “I think seeing Phichit go has rattled me. Sure he was showy too, but he also performed like I did at times. He wasn't that different than me, but Chris won out because of his overall performance.”

Victor rose then, unhooking Yuri's guitar strap and taking the instrument from him, setting it in the guitar stand nearby, prompting Yuri to look up at him, then reach for the instrument.

“Hey! I need that, I'm not done, I...”

Victor wrapped his arms around Yuri then. “I think you are getting overloaded right now, and you need to stop for the night. We both do. We don't have lot call till noon tomorrow and we both probably should get some sleep. It's already after midnight,” Victor said.

“But I need to have this song ready...”

“And you will. We have five days till the performance show. You will be more than ready by then. If you're an exhausted wreck, for sure you won't do your best.”

Yuri felt the weariness seeping in then after Victor forced him out of his hyper-focused state. He sighed heavily and laid his head down on Victor's shoulder, one arm slipping around his waist.

“Yeah... I guess I am tired,” Yuri said.

“Come on. Let's get you upstairs and tucked in,” Victor smiled. “Enough for tonight.” He rose then, pulling on Yuri's hand to encourage him to follow. They headed back upstairs, where Yuri kept hold on Victor's hand as he went into his room; Victor followed, not quite sure what it meant, and even less sure when Yuri pulled down the blankets of his bed without voicing any desire for Victor to leave.

“It's gonna be pretty lonely in here now,” Yuri said, the flush over his face evident even in the dim light of the table lamp as he turned to set his glasses on the nightstand. “I thought maybe... you'd like to stay a while.”

It was Victor's turn to feel the flush play over his face then. “Sure... I can do that... I mean...” _Oh the hell with it,_ he thought to himself as he allowed the grin to spread over his face. “I'd love to.” He then climbed into the full-size bed as Yuri did, slipping under the blankets as Yuri moved in close enough for Victor to wrap his arms around him, which Yuri returned once he'd turned off the light and pulled the blankets up over them both.

For a while they both remained silent, taking in the feel of each other's embrace in the faint light that filtered through the top and bottom of the room-darkening draperies from the lighting around the grounds of the mansion. Victor could just barely make out Yuri's silhouette in the added blue glow of the digital clock on what was formerly Phichit's night table from the other side of the now vacant bed. He could tell by Yuri's breathing that he hadn't fallen asleep yet, and as such decided to lean in and place a soft kiss on his forehead.

“Feeling better?” Victor asked softly.

“Mm... some. I know what would help though,” Yuri replied.

“Oh? And what's that?”

In response Yuri leaned forward, at first causing their noses to bump in the near darkness. After they both finished giggling over it he leaned in again, this time meeting Victor's lips with his own. Their arms tightened around each other as both settled into the kiss; Victor could feel Yuri's body relaxing further at the interaction and ran his palm over Yuri's back in reassurance.

Before long, they both had fallen into a comfortable interaction, with lengthy kisses broken only by one or the other gently pulling back, lips still brushing against the other's as they both regained their breath. Hands began to wander, bodies pressing more tightly together. As Victor leaned in to deepen one kiss in particular, he felt Yuri's hand begin to wander lower on his back, at which Victor broke the kiss as gently as he could.

“Is something wrong?” Victor swallowed hard at the bedroom tone Yuri's voice had taken on.

“I just... if you're not ready for anything more... you might want to keep your hands above the waist,” Victor said, trying to put his words as carefully as possible.

“What are you ready for?” Yuri asked in that same damn tone. _Oh god, stop... but don't._

“I am ready for whatever you're comfortable with,” Victor said. “But it's not like we're fully... prepared.”

“Mm... I don't think I'm up for going... that far yet,” Yuri said. “But... uh... I'm...”

Victor could almost hear the fierce blush in Yuri's voice. Rather than reach down with a hand, he tightened his arms around Yuri, pulling him in closer, and had to laugh softly.

“Yuuurrrriiiii I'm flattered,” Victor said, his tone teasing at the feeling against his hip that made the situation rather obvious.

“I couldn't help it!” Yuri replied. “It... you're... you're a really good kisser.”

“Yeah? Well...” Victor leaned in, pressing another kiss into Yuri's lips as his fingertips explored the waistband of the jersey shorts Yuri was wearing, at which Yuri pulled out of the kiss with a soft giggle.

“Oh, what's that?” Victor said, his voice mischievous as his fingertips feathered along the skin, making Yuri giggle more.

“Stooooop!” Yuri said, burying his face into Victor's shoulder. “You're making it worse.”

“Oh? Getting to you, am I?” Victor murmured against Yuri's ear; he continued the touch for a bit more, enjoying Yuri's squirming and the tone of that adorable giggle before slipping his hand inside Yuri's shorts.

“Oh... Victor... are you...”

“Do you want me to?”

Yuri only paused for a moment. _Don't bother lying to yourself._ “Yes... I do.”

Victor let his fingertips trail over Yuri's lower abdomen, teasing the triangle of skin between hips and the base of his erection. Yuri squirmed, the mixture of tickly and tantalizing causing his head to spin. He gripped Victor's shoulders insistently, hips pushing into the other man's hand until finally Victor leaned in, taking a mouthful of skin on Yuri's neck as his hand encircled his length. Yuri took in the warmth of Victor's grip as he stayed still for a few moments, thumb moving up to brush over the tip before beginning a slow, teasing rhythm of strokes, his thumb continuing to slide over the tip with each movement.

Victor found himself enjoying the soft, breathy moans that he pulled from Yuri entirely too much (was there such a thing?). He continued to tease, keeping the pressure and strokes gentle, until he felt Yuri's grip on his shoulders tighten.

“God... Victor please, I need more... faster...”

“But Yuri, I want you to last... I want you to enjoy it.”

Yuri almost lost it right then; the tone of Victor's voice, the feel of his hand, his body. “I am... I just need more... please... _ah!”_ The shock that ran through him as Victor picked up the pace was another shove closer to the edge. One of his hands moved up to cradle the back of Victor's head, pulling him down to encourage him to press his lips into Yuri's neck again, which he obliged.

Victor felt Yuri's body coiling and tightened his grip around him as he kept up the friction, purring soft words of encouragement against the skin of Yuri's neck, then moving up to his ear to press his lips into it. “Mm... yes, that's it Yuri... come for me, beautiful.”

The third hit to Yuri's arousal was the critical one. Between Victor's voice and ministrations it was all over in a few more seconds, with Yuri instinctively turning his face into his pillow to growl into it as his hips thrust in time with his orgasm, spilling over Victor's hand before his body gave out with a groan, muscles releasing their clenched state as he melted into the mattress. A moment later he felt Victor placing kisses over his face, murmuring soft words like “beautiful, so sexy” as he trailed them around, finally ending with a soft kiss on Yuri's lips.

“And how was that, hm?” Victor purred into the kiss.

“Amazing,” Yuri drawled back, still in a bit of a dazed, satisfied state.

“Good,” Victor said. “But now I've got a mess here.” He placed one more kiss on Yuri's lips. “Be right back.”

“Well... I need to clean up too,” Yuri said with a soft laugh, sitting up as Victor withdrew his hand. He reached for the light, turning it on...

…and found Victor halfway out of the bed, one hand held up away from the bedding... his thin pajama pants rather filled out; he tried to turn his body away but stopped once Yuri noticed.

“Victor... you're... why didn't you say something?”

“I... didn't want to pressure you,” Victor said. “I'll be fine...”

“Wait,” Yuri said, getting out of bed and walking around to the other side. He reached for Victor's free hand, pulling him toward the bathroom, at which Victor followed; once there, Yuri turned on the shower. As Yuri stripped down Victor washed his hands in the sink, then made as if to leave, face bright red.

“What are you doing?” Yuri asked. “Get undressed.” Yuri was certain Victor turned even more red. “Seriously? You're going shy on me _now?”_

“No! I... just didn't expect this...” Yuri stepped forward then, sliding his hands under Victor's shirt.

“I'm not letting you take care of me and not return it,” Yuri said. “Now get undressed.”

Victor stripped down then, laying his clothes over the edge of the bathtub; Yuri smiled at the view despite trying to remain coy. _Well, that's certainly impressive._ He curled a beckoning finger at Victor then pulled him by the hand into the shower, which was most definitely big enough for two and featured a bench built into one wall, the white marble patterned tiles shot through with gold leaf. Yuri stood under the spray to rinse off then nudged Victor to sit down on the bench, after which he straddled his hips.

“Yuri... You don't have to do this you know...” Victor was still bright red; as he laid a hand on Victor's chest Yuri could feel the other man's heart pounding.

“I know. I want to. I've wanted to for a while. I'm tired of being afraid of everything... especially of this, of us.” One hand slid down then, gripping Victor's erection; the other cradled Victor's face as Yuri leaned in to kiss him deeply. Victor's arms wrapped tightly around Yuri, fingertips pressing into the skin of his back as Yuri began the same tease Victor had done to him, his strokes soft at first, thumb teasing the tip of his ample erection. Victor returned the kiss as long as he could before his breathing had quickened too much, causing him to break for air, head tipping back against the wall as Yuri began to speed up the rhythm. Yuri was pleased when Victor's hips bucked when he leaned in to kiss over the other man's neck, making note of the sensitive spot.

Victor's head was swimming at the mix of sensations: Yuri's chest pressed to his, the feel of Yuri's skin under his hands, Yuri's touch driving him insane, the almost tortuous feel of the water pouring down from the “rain forest” shower head above them against his heated skin. His body arched as Yuri responded to the volume of his moans rising, his body clenching as he barely had time to hover on the edge before falling over it, head dropping forward to muffle his own half-scream into Yuri's shoulder as the orgasm shot through him. His hands reached down to grip Yuri's ass, pressing him closer to feel more of his body as he came down from the high while heaving a few deep sighs to catch his breath.

If Yuri hadn't been mentally and physically spent from the combination of the day's work and Victor's attentions from before, he was sure he'd have gotten hard again just from watching Victor enjoy the pleasure he'd given him. It was just as well though that he hadn't, as when he leaned back to let the water run over them both to wash away the remnants of Victor's own orgasm, Victor looked just as exhausted as he felt – and just as content.

“Yuuuriiii, you wore me out,” Victor grinned as Yuri reached to turn off the water.

“Well you wore me out too!” Yuri laughed, leaning in to kiss him again, at which Victor reached up and cradled Yuri's face in his hands, resting his forehead against Yuri's when they were done.

“Thank you... that was fantastic,” Victor murmured affectionately.

“It wasn't much, I know... I'm just not...” Victor quieted Yuri with a finger over his lips.

“Shh. It was more than enough. We said slow, remember? We've both wanted this for a while... now maybe we can both focus better that this tension has been broken between us.” Yuri had to laugh softly at Victor's adorable smile.

“Not if I keep thinking about tonight!” Yuri laughed as they rose and grabbed towels to dry off.

“Well, true, I'll give you that,” Victor smiled. “But at the very least, we'll both sleep well.”

Yuri paused by the door, deciding to forgo clothing; upon noticing, Victor decided to as well, instead taking Yuri's offered hand and following him back to the bed. They climbed in, this time not hesitating to tangle up into each other's arms as they wrapped up into the blankets. With a few more kisses both were fighting to keep awake and finally gave in, dozing off cradled peacefully in each other's embrace.

  
  


  
  


**Live Shows, Week 10 – Takeshi's and Producers' Song Choices**

If their extra day of work hadn't been busy enough, the three remaining Superstars found that having to practice a total of three songs – their two solos and the results show group number – for the week was quite hectic. With the recording of the solo song of their choice sandwiched in between rehearsals, final wardrobe fittings, rough stage rehearsal and then finally the dress rehearsal the day of the performance show, the three of them had just enough time to eat and sleep in their sparse amount of free hours. It also became more difficult to keep their voices on point; by the morning of dress rehearsals all three men had decided to just mime through their songs as they felt their throats becoming a bit tired from five solid days of singing.

As such, the green room after dress rehearsal was a quiet affair, with Yuri working on the guitar part to his Producers' Choice song in the practice room, Victor listening to his song from Takeshi while reading the lyrics over for the thousandth time, and Chris doing the same with his song from Takeshi as well. The quiet gave things an air of seriousness, the atmosphere far less friendly not because the trio didn't get along, but because with no way to banter about aimless things, they all had more time to focus on the fact that the very long journey the were all on was coming down to its final days.

Despite their night together the week before Yuri and Victor had found no time to explore things further. Along with Chris, who'd been utilizing the pole that was installed in the gym upon the top 12 moving into the house, they'd both begun to practice their dance routines for the finale, taking turns utilizing the dance space to do so. Both were so exhausted that they'd fallen into bed and immediately to sleep whenever Victor did stay in Yuri's room; there were a couple of nights that Victor noticed Yuri seeming to need his space, and had stayed with Chris to respect that as well as to spend as much time with his roommate as he could.

In fact, some of the burgeoning stress Victor was feeling was due to the fact that one of the two men he'd become quite close to in different ways would be gone after tomorrow, at least from the house. Regardless of who that was, he'd be competing against the remaining man for the finale. And while there was no animosity between any of them, the competitive air had caused a thin wall to rise between the trio, a strange, if slight, detachment that more than likely was some kind of coping mechanism to deal with the pressure. At least, that's what Victor chose to believe it was – it's just songs, it's just a television show, it's just a competition that probably meant a lot less than it was made out to be because if Victor was being honest, he knew whoever came in third would still be fine, would likely be signed to some kind of deal if not by Eros Records, by one of its many sister labels.

Even so, Victor hadn't expected this part of it to be so difficult; the tiny bit of fear creeping in that the next two weeks would bring a change to the relationships he'd formed with Chris and Yuri. He hated this feeling, one he was familiar with... the one where he knew people were only in his life for the time they were meant to be, and would move on when that necessity ended.

As Seung Gil stuck his head in to call 30 minutes to live, Victor realized he hadn't been reading the lyrics or listening to his song as it looped in his earbuds. He was letting the outside worries and fears in again. It was on that level that he'd come to understand Yuri's anxiety, and had realized that maybe he had some of his own. He had to focus, and worry about those things later, just as he'd told Yuri countless times over the last couple of weeks as they'd drawn closer.

As he started the song one last time, the intro playing through, he tucked it all away with the resolve that he'd keep those that meant the most to him from this entire experience close, and would refuse to let anything come between the bond they'd forged – no matter what.

  
  


  
  


_Going to live cold open in 5...4...3...2...1! Cut to Morooka at center stage, spots 1 and 2 on point._

“Last week, we had the difficult task of saying goodbye to the immensely talented Phichit Chulanont, which brought us down to our Top Three: Christophe Giacometti, Yuri Katsuki, and Victor Nikiforov. Up until now, the contestants had been charged with choosing their own songs and by that, their path on their journey. Starting this week, their hands are taken from the wheel as their song choices will be made by those who have guided them through this process. This week, our own Musical Director, Takeshi Nishigori and our team of producers – myself included – have given the contestants their songs. Now we'll see how they rise to the task. Get ready as the Top Three battle it out to see who makes it to next week's Finale. THIS... is Superstar Grand Prix! _Go to show opening sequence._

This week was already being run differently than all the other weeks before it save for the very first live show. A “red room” had been set up in one of the upper levels of the stage, with red velvet sofas and a red table, a spiral fire escape-style staircase leading down from it to the main stage. It was here that the three contestants would wait, watching the performances from above, as with so much ground to cover the set changes would be happening quickly. As they watched the introduction of the judges Yuri, Victor and Chris found they were happy for the relative shelter of the “red room”; they were still in the middle of the action, but shielded from the eyes of the audience which helped their need to focus.

A crew member that all of the contestants had become familiar with over the course of the show, an older man by the name of Josef, was charged with relaying Seung Gil's directions to the trio via headset transmissions. As Morooka neared the end of the short conversation with the judges Josef signaled Yuri to go to the top of the stairs and begin walking down, stopping at the one that had a red X on it. Before he left, Yuri paused to accept a handshake from each of his two friends and fellow contestants. He then took his mark as he waited for Seung Gil's signal, peering at the stage manager below him through the stairs.

“And now it's time for our first performance of the night, from Yuri. Come on down my friend!” Morooka called, at which Seung Gil waved him on. A short, instrumental edit of “You Only Live Once” accompanied Yuri as he descended the ten or so stairs then walked over from stage left to center stage, waving to the cheering and screaming crowd as he went before stopping next to Morooka.

“How are you feeling tonight Yuri?” Morooka began.

“Well, obviously we're all a bit tense,” Yuri said. “It's taken a bit of getting used to with not being able to choose our songs. So I'm just hoping I perform mine as well as everyone who chose them hopes for.”

“That sounds reasonable,” Morooka said. “Now I heard you weren't too familiar with this song going in?”

Yuri nodded. “No, I wasn't, mostly because it came out at a time where I was really busy with school and focusing on my own music for that, so I wasn't listening to a lot of new music. So I worked pretty hard on getting this one down.”

“Well I'm sure you'll do well with it,” Morooka said, giving him a pat on the shoulder. “Head on back and get ready, and good luck.” The crowd applauded briefly as Yuri went back to the band to get his guitar.

“Just a note on the judging for this evening: The judges will not be critiquing until each contestant has done both of their songs, and will then address both at once, with one judge speaking for our entire judging panel for each contestant,” Morooka noted. “And now, let's get started. Performing his Producers' Choice song, “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran, here is Yuri Katsuki!”

The song more or less had a cold open with no real intro to lead in, so Yuri began the softly finger-picked intro, singing his lightly blues-tinged vocals with a sensitive tone in the beginning verse, then slowly building to a belt into the first verse. He opted not to change the pronouns in the song (he'd had enough of a time learning it as it was) but as he sang, some of his emotion and passion came from picturing Victor as the subject of [the lyrics](https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/edsheeran/perfect.html). His confidence grew as he sang through the second verse when he allowed his emotions to intertwine with his delivery. By the second chorus the passion and love in his voice was quite evident, the key of the song hitting the sweet spot of his range where his voice projected in a melodic timbre with a hint of rasp and vibrato that gave many in the audience chills. The instrumental interlude was edited for time and instead the song went into the final chorus, the backing singers joining in to make the song feel that much more emotional, to the point that Yuri felt a rush of tears fighting to form. He finished the final line with a soft smile he couldn't hide crossing his lips, eyes closed at the final “darling you look perfect tonight” before playing the final acoustic guitar riff and coming to rest with the band.

The crowd erupted into cheers and screams as Yuri blinked back the hints of tears that had formed in his eyes. He stepped forward to the “bows” mark, bowing a few times and mouthing the words “thank you” as he waved, the lights dimming out his cue to leave the stage as Morooka moved on to the second performer of the night.

“Our next Producers' Choice performance comes from Christophe,” Morooka continued, the walk-in music accompanying Chris' descent down the stairs and across to center stage.

“How's it going my friend?” Morooka asked, at which Chris put on his best stage-friendly grin.

“I'm quite well,” Chris responded. “It's been a pretty crazy week, but tonight's the only thing that really matters right now.”

“You sound pretty focused,” Morooka noted. “This song is a bit of a throwback, how has that worked out?”

“Oh I was quite familiar with this song thankfully; I actually almost chose it for 80s week but it didn't make my short list. In retrospect I think I have more of an idea what I wanted to do with it now than then, so it's all good.”

“All right, head on back and let's hear it,” Morooka replied, with Chris going back to the mark in front of the band to prepare. “Singing his Producers' Choice song 'Let's Dance' by David Bowie, here is Christophe Giacometti!”

Chris walked out to center stage during the abbreviated intro to the song, beginning the first verse in a dreamy purr-like tone that evolved into a growl as the verse moved into the change, then up into his lower range for the chorus. He began to prowl the stage during the second verse, singing in a mix of a whisper and moan as he replicated the tone of the first three lines of the second verse, then into a full-throated growl for the “under the moonlight, the serious moonlight” line that evoked cheers and squeals from the audience. The second change and chorus were delivered with more passion and he then moved into a bit of a slinky dance for the instrumental interlude, then finally belting out the improvisations as the song went into the final coda, ending with one last emphatic “let's dance!” that he nearly shouted into the mic.

The crowd, to Chris' relief, seemed to love it, cheering and screaming wildly, some standing and waving signs. He broke into a grin and bowed with a flourish, blowing a few kisses before the lights faded out and prompted him to leave the stage.

“Our final Producers' Choice song will be performed by Victor. Come on down buddy,” Morooka called. Victor took the stairs two at a time and nearly jogged to center stage, the tension in his presence after the first two performances almost too much to contain – both of his friends had stepped it up, and now it was his turn.

“How's it going tonight Victor?” Morooka asked.

“Good, good,” Victor said. “I've been looking forward to doing this song actually, it's one of my favorites. It was on my list for Broadway Week, but I went with a different one because this one is so well-known already.”

“I think everyone will love your take on it,” Morooka said with a smile. “Head on back and get ready my friend.” Victor turned and walked back to where Takeshi waited at the piano, taking his place behind the mic stand.

“Performing 'Bring Him Home' from _Les Miserables_ , here is Victor Nikiforov,” Morooka announced.

Victor closed his eyes as Takeshi played the piano intro to the song, drawing in a deep breath and beginning the first verse with his gentle, controlled falsetto, keeping his eyes closed to concentrate on keeping the melody on key. The mix of falsetto and head-voice continued through the first verse and change, then changed to his midrange during the first bridge. His voice echoed over the silent studio, not a single person moving or seeming to even dare to breathe. He went into the second verse using his lower belting range and then building to his full belt, the vibrato in his voice for the line “if I die, let me die” gave many in the audience chills, and as he settled down into the final “bring him home” refrain, moving back down into the same gentle falsetto more than a few eyes in the house were no longer dry, including Minako's at the judges' table as the song came to its quiet end.

The audience burst into wild applause and screams; in the audience Taisia was wiping away tears in between applauding herself. Victor was careful not to look her way this time, determined to keep his composure as he bowed and thanked the audience before the lights dimmed out.

“All right, Round One of tonight's performances is in the books,” Morooka began as the cameras shifted to him at center stage. “When we come back, Round Two will commence with our Musical Director Takeshi Nishigori's picks for our Top Three Superstars. Stay tuned! THIS... is Superstar Grand Prix!”

As the show went to the commercial break Victor climbed the permanent stairs behind the stage set to get back up to the “red room” where Yuri and Chris were relaxing. He hadn't even sat down before Chris handed him a warm cup of Throat Coat tea which he and Yuri had been sipping on since finishing their performances.

“God that was amazing!” Yuri smiled. “I was sitting here trying not to cry. Doing that with just the piano was really powerful.”

“It was,” Chris agreed. “Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous.” He raised his tea in a “toast” before taking another sip.

“You both did great yourselves,” Victor noted. “Yuri, you were so worried about that song and it sounded fantastic. So soulful and your tone was spot on.”

Chris nodded in agreement. “Seriously, there was no indication whatsoever that you learned that in less than a week. The guitar playing was lovely too.”

“Well you were great too with that Bowie song,” Yuri said to Chris. “I loved the way you sounded on that, I knew you could do that growl but it was harder to hear in your songs last week. I like that part of your range a lot.”

Chris playfully wiggled his eyebrows. “Why thank you darling,” he grinned. “I do my best to bring the sexy.”

“As always,” Victor laughed. Josef signaled to them that they were 30 seconds to live, and for Yuri to head to the stairs for his second performance.

“Here I go,” he smiled; Victor and Chris both raised a fist for a good luck bump before he took his place on the stairs.

Morooka was standing next to Takeshi in his place with the band as the show returned from the break; Yuri was signaled to head down to the piano to prep for the song.

“And we are back with the songs that are Takeshi's Choice for the contestants,” Morooka began. He then turned to Takeshi. “And why did you choose this song for Yuri?”

“Well he's done a different song by this artist before, so I know he's capable of this kind of rockin' out,” Takeshi said. “We haven't seen a lot of this side of him, so I thought we'd get him out here on the piano to show us a bit more of it.”

“Sounds good,” Morooka said. “Performing 'I Don't Want to Be' by Gavin DeGraw, once again here is Yuri Katsuki!”

Takeshi began with the guitar riff, Yuri joining in right after with the accompanying piano chords. He began to sing the lyrics, digging into a grittier part of his range that he didn't often need or use for his usually more theatrical-sounding voice, but found he enjoyed letting the growl come out. He felt himself rocking in time to the music as he sat at the piano. The chorus was a bit more challenging as it dipped down into the lowest of his range; he used a bit of a noteless, purr-like growl to hit them before jumping back up effortlessly to the higher notes. As the song went into the change with its almost improvised, spoken-word-esque delivery he found himself falling into a bit of a sassy, sexy tone as the vibe of the song got under his skin more.

For the nearly a capella reprise of the first part of the chorus he played the chords on the piano softly, then went with his excitement and jumped up, kicking the piano stool out from under him as he belted out the final chorus, causing the audience to erupt into cheers and screams. He continued to sing some improvisations for the coda and as the song came to its end, the crowd which had already been cheering him on broke into a bedlam of waiving signs, shrieks and people jumping up and down. In the first row Mari was screaming her lungs out, with Taisia and Matheu also applauding and cheering; over on the side with the rest of the Top 12 and their family members, Phichit, Sara and Leo in particular were screaming and joining in the jumping up and down. Yuri took his mark at center stage, taking a couple of bows and thanking the audience with a few waves and a smile.

“Yuri!!” Minako cried, grinning from ear to ear. “I think these two songs were absolutely perfect for you. We saw two completely different sides of your abilities, but each song also showcased a little variation on what we've already seen from you. The Ed Sheeran song brought out a bit of a soulful rasp in your voice that I really liked. There was no indication that you weren't familiar with that song and that's the ultimate goal you want, to put forward that comfort level with your performance. And this song?” She paused to fan herself, which made the audience and Yuri laugh. “This was _sexy._ I really feel like you're opening up now and showing us who you really are. I feel like you related to this song on some level as well because your delivery of [the lyrics](https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/gavindegraw/idontwanttobe.html) was almost a bit angry, which I also liked. Overall, I think both of your songs were done very well and you laid down some of your best work tonight. You stepped it up and reminded everyone why you have made it this far. Excellent job Yuri.”

Yuri grinned after exhaling sharply as Minako's critique signaled the end of his work for the evening. Morooka walked up and gave him a pat on the back, congratulating him on his performances; he then recited the voting information and sent Yuri on his way before walking back over to Takeshi.

“All right, next up is Takeshi's pick for Chris. What were your thoughts going into picking this song for him?” Morooka asked.

“Well it's funny because I didn't know what songs the producers had chosen for everyone when I pulled this song, but I kind of went with the mention of Chris being in the vein of David Bowie when I thought of this one,” Takeshi said. “We've already seen that he has that old school sort of glam-rock vibe going on, and this song by this relatively new artist has that influence as well so I thought it would be perfect for him. And then he ended up with an actual Bowie song too,” he added, giving Morooka a sideways glance that evoked some laughter from the audience as well as Minako and Celestino at the judge's table.

Morooka had to smile at that as he continued. “Well that's certainly a 'great minds think alike' moment then!” he shot back, with some “ooooohhhhs” coming from the audience in response. “All right. With his Takeshi's Choice song “Electric Love” by BØRNS, here is Chris Giacometti!”

Chris walked out as the retro-sounding intro to the song began, his wardrobe a mix of 70s'-esque sequins, fringe and spandex in a [nod to the song's video](https://youtu.be/RYr96YYEaZY) as well as the overall vibe. He began to sing in a slinky falsetto, strutting around the stage in the chunky vintage platform boots that Georgi had scored for him that he'd had to admit he loved. If he was concentrating on the lyrics or the mostly-falsetto delivery it didn't show, Chris' full trademark charisma on display as he hit the ridiculous high note in the chorus both times flawlessly. For the bridge of the song he moved across the stage in a shuffling, dancey gait reminiscent of Freddie Mercury, his connection to the song filling out a bit as he moved into the final chorus which allowed him to improvise after the mostly 'quiet' feel of the rest of the melody. He finished the song in a total rock star pose, smiling at the enthusiastic reception from the crowd as he took his bows and once again blew kisses of thanks their way. As he took his mark however he pretended to be watching his feet in the 8-inch platforms, but was actually concealing an expression of uncertainty with how his last song had gone.

“Well, this was really something,” Celestino began. “I am going to step up here and take full responsibility for the David Bowie remark. However, I didn't think it would inform this week's song choices as much as they have. Your first song, “Let's Dance”, was really really good. I loved the variation in your delivery on that song and you captured the essence of it and of Bowie very well. This second song I have to admit I wasn't very familiar with either, I actually had to look it up and listen to the original myself so I knew what I was judging. It's got a bit of a [“Spirit in the Sky”](https://youtu.be/AZQxH_8raCI) type vibe to it which is fine, but I don't know if it was the best song that could have been chosen for you. You thrive the best on having songs with a lot more dynamics and while your vocals on it were very controlled and on point, I can see where this sort of forced you to amp up your wardrobe and staging to compensate for it kind being just... there. You did the best you could with what you were given though and I did end up liking what you did with it vocally. Overall two very solid performances, and nice work.”

Chris nodded his thanks to Celestino as Morooka walked back over, giving him a handshake and commending him on his performances. He then recited Chris' voting information and sent him back upstairs as he once again headed over to Morooka.

“Our final Takeshi's Choice is for Victor. What was your thought process about this song?” Morooka asked.

“This was a song I had been wanting to see Victor do for a while, but there really wasn't a great opportunity for it. So when I had the chance to pick, I chose this. He actually wasn't exceptionally familiar with it so he had to work on it pretty hard, but I think everyone's going to love what he's going to do.”

“All right, let's get to it. Singing “Love Reign O'er Me” by The Who, here is Victor Nikiforov!”, Morooka announced, gesturing with a flourish as the stage lights went dark and Takeshi began the abbreviated piano intro to the song while Victor took his place at center stage.

As the lights came up Victor was revealed to be wearing ripped jeans and a denim jacket emblazoned with a scattering of rhinestones and strategic rips, a glittery scarf draped over his neck flowing down over his bare torso, his attire a nod to Roger Daltrey's classic stage clothing. He began in his low range, caressing the microphone as he sang, eyes closed, keeping the volume low until the first chorus crashed in and he belted out the first “love”, singing the hook line with deliberate focus, his tone on point. He dropped down into his low range again for the second verse, then back up into a passionate half belt-half by-design scream for the word “love” as the mood of the song built up into the change. He nearly danced over the stage, more talk-singing parts of the change in between belting high notes. Victor continued to canvass the stage as he worked through the adrenaline, making a circuit of the catwalk to rile up the crowd as the band powered through an edited version of the musical interlude. The music quieted down with Victor slowly walking back up to his mark at the center edge of the stage, winding up for the highest scream as the band exploded into the final reprise of the chorus, spreading his arms wide as he sang the hook line with all the emotions that had built up within him due to the events of the past two weeks. He began a string of improvisations similar to those of Robert Plant, his emotions catching up with him as he paused for one last quiet moment in the music before the final high-noted wail, the band ending in a flurry of drums and power chords before the stage went dark.

The noise in the room was deafening for at least a full minute as the lights came back up and he set the microphone back in its stand, walking to the mark at center stage. He thanked the crowd with a smile and a few waves and bows, which did nothing to quiet them until the “Quiet Please” screens came up; when that didn't work, Yakov began to speak, which finally settled the audience down.

“The two songs chosen for you could not have been more different, but it is a credit to your vast versatility that you handled both with an expertise that belies your experience and your age,” Yakov began. “The sensitivity and emotion we saw in your performance of “Bring Him Home” would rival that of many seasoned musical actors. The arrangement laid your voice bare and there was not a flaw to be found in your vocal. Your second performance was more about passion than vocal expertise. The melody in this song is quite sparse and much depends on your delivery of the chorus and its hook line. I appreciated that you put more into the delivery of it than on the original version, even if it did get a bit messy in spots. For a song like this, sometimes you can get away with a bit of that. I think you were a bit too excited as I would have preferred you to stay at center stage and keep your delivery more clean, but what you did do still worked well. I do not think you have anything to worry about and we will see you next week in the final.”

Victor nodded and spoke a soft “spasibo” into the microphone as Yakov concluded his critique, then reached to accept Morooka's congratulatory handshake. As he recited Victor's voting information Chris and Yuri came down the spiral staircase to join him as the recap montage of all of their performances was played.

“And that's it for tonight folks, the Top Three performances are in the books,” Morooka began. “Remember that Chris' “Let's Dance”, Yuri's “I Don't Want to Be” and Victor's “Love Reign O'er Me” are available now on iTunes, and sales of those tracks count for the votes as well. And remember to _vote for your favorite!_ This one's really important folks! We will be back tomorrow night with our results, as well as a performance from our very own Celestino Cialdini with his band Iceheart for the debut of their new single. On behalf of our judges and contestants, have a great night everyone. Morooka – out!”

  
  


Victor sat down hard on the chair, burying his face in his hands with a hard exhale as his fellow contestants took seats at the same table in the green room. For several minutes the three of them sat in silence, coming down from the competitive tension the night had brought on. They'd all barely spoken to each other outside of the light banter at the mid-point of the show, and for the first time there was a nearly standoffish air in the room as the weight of tomorrow's results finally bore down on them.

“It's going to be you and Chris,” Yuri finally said as he addressed Victor, breaking the silence with his soft, exhausted tone.

“I don't want to call it for anyone, to be honest,” Victor said. “We all did our absolute best with what we were given.”

“Or tried,” Chris said, an air of sadness in his tone. “I knew midway through that damn second song that it wasn't going over well. Maybe I should have toned down the outfit...”

“No, you shouldn't have, there was no reason to sacrifice who you are,” Yuri said. “That outfit was you just kicked up a notch or two. From what I could see a good amount of the audience was into it.”

“Let's all just stop with second-guessing ourselves,” Victor said, his tone uncharacteristically clipped, which Yuri knew meant Victor was on the verge of exhaustion; it was the only time Victor got testy in any way unless he was provoked. “This entire week was out of our hands and so is the voting. No matter what happens, it doesn't change what we've all learned from this journey and it doesn't change the bond it's given us.”

“No, of course it doesn't,” Chris said, picking up what Yuri had about Victor's state of mind as well. “I think we all need to get home, have a stiff drink and crash. No staying up late tonight, we all need the rest.”

Victor nodded then, sighing heavily; Yuri circled his shoulders with an arm, squeezing him comfortingly.

“We'll all be okay, no matter what happens. We've always known it was a competition, but it doesn't change that we're all close,” Yuri said gently. “I don't see any reason for hard feelings tomorrow.”

Chris' expression turned into a “wtf” frown as he snortlaughed. “Oh god no! Neither of you are getting rid of me that easily! Especially this fabulous bitch,” he grinned as he patted Victor's shoulder; in turn Victor finally broke into some amused but tired laughter as he patted Chris' hand in response.

“All right, let's get out of here,” Victor said. “I'm done with this place for today. Oh, and whatever anyone else does tonight? Do not, under _any_ circumstances, get on social media. I am not making that mistake again after last week.”

“Oh dear god no,” Chris said as they rose to head back to the dressing room to pack up. “I can just imagine what's going on over there and that's more than enough.”

Yuri laughed, circling Victor's waist with his arm as they took their leave of the green room, which Victor returned with his arm around Yuri's shoulders. “Tonight was scary enough without that,” Yuri said. “I think we'll do just fine without the armchair judges' opinions.”

  
  


  
  


“As soon as the last song was done, I knew this was going to happen. You owe me dinner Morooka.”

Seung Gil was scanning the social media pages of the show, and to say the least what he was seeing wasn't pretty.

“Chris' fanbase thinks there was a conspiracy between the producers and Takeshi to get him out. Victor's fanbase thinks Yuri is a dead man walking and will be gone tomorrow and are screaming for a 'Victophe' finale. The general consensus of the recap blogs is that Yuri will probably go because he's too boring whereas Chris and Victor are showy and flashy and have more star power. I knew it would be a mixed bag as far as who people thought would go home, but I knew as soon as I heard what songs Chris was given that people would suspect foul play. I knew this would happen when the show started picking their songs, and now it's too late to rethink that for next week.”

“Let them think what they want,” Morooka said. “It's a technique that was used on American Idol, and all The Voice is is the mentors giving their singers what songs they want them to do. We gave our contestants far more free reign than either of those shows to build their personas and now we're playing off what they've given us to work with.”

“We're already getting requests from various outlets wanting a statement to the effect of how the songs were chosen. You might have to put that one in writing,” Seung Gil said.

“I'll draft it up before I head home then,” Morooka said. “There was absolutely no sabotage involved. Chris stepped it up with the song I submitted and the production team agreed on. The Bowie song worked great. I thought Takeshi's pick was maybe a little understated for someone like Chris but he still did very well.”

“I know that and you know that but the angry viewers at home will think what they want,” Seung Gil said. “We'll just have to nip that in the bud before the finale.”

“I've got an idea for that,” Morooka said thoughtfully. “It's not to late to throw it in so I'll put it out there in our meeting tomorrow before we give the Top Two their songs.”

“Sounds good,” Seung Gil said.

“Did you get any feel for how the contestants were doing after the show?” Morooka asked.

“No, they were pretty protective of each other and left pretty quickly tonight. Without Phichit offering his usual comments I'm flying blind again,” Seung Gil said.

“And how are you feeling about that?” Morooka asked with more than passing interest.

“Well, he hasn't spoken to me since I had to bail out of the dinner last week. It would have been nice if someone had told me the ban on interaction lasted until the end of the show and not just till the contestant was voted off. I didn't get a chance to explain that and now I can't even contact him.”

“Wait, who told you that?” Morooka said, frowning.

“I got a warning email from the higher ups. I'm not sure who blew me in,” he said. “They must have seen me talking to him about dinner at the end of the results show last week, because I got it the day after that.”

“Hm, probably an overzealous intern or something. It's not like you'll have to wait long to get your “in” back, since you'll be working the tour.”

“If he talks to me again,” Seung Gil said. “And besides, if stuff keeps leaking once the tour is going on the contestants are going to figure out where it's coming from. I'm going to have to very carefully consider if I want to be part of that going forward. It's already been difficult to pull off as it is. And they've all put their trust in me over the course of the show.” _Except possibly Phichit_ , he thought to himself.

Morooka sighed then. “Fair enough. We'll just have to hope they generate enough web chatter among their fanbases to keep things going. We're on the verge of getting a second season and we'll be wanting all of them for promo if that happens, maybe even guest judge spots and mentoring. We can't let them all fall out of the spotlight before we know what's up.”

“You can't own these people forever you know,” Seung Gil said. “Their contracts only last till the end of the tour. And at some point you have to start respecting their space once they're away from all of this. Besides, a good amount of them are going to be pretty successful on their own. I think you'll have all the interest you need.” Morooka was about to reply when Seung Gil rose abruptly from his chair.

“I'm not going to be your mole forever either,” Seung Gil said. “If that's the biggest reason you wanted me to do the tour, I'm going to have to reconsider that offer as well. I was looking forward to running the production, it's what I do and it would be a hell of a thing to have on my resume along with this show. But if it's going to cost me by being pegged in the industry as someone people can't trust, then I'm out. Not everything has to be for ratings, web hits and views Morooka. Remember that.”

Seung Gil took his leave of his office before Morooka could say anything more, yanking his jacket on angrily as he headed to his car. The past week had been just as busy for him as it had been for the Top Three, and Finale Week was shaping up to be even more stressful. He got into his car, slamming the door before burying his face in his hands, exhaling sharply as he relaxed in the silence, the first he'd had all day.

He pulled out his phone and scrolled through the notifications, swiping them away one by one to reply to later. None were from the one person he really wanted them to be from. Still unsure if it would even be worth it to try, and having the distinct feeling that he was possibly being tested with loyalty all around, Seung Gil decided once again to throw caution to the wind as he composed the text message.

_Hey Phichit, it's SG. I know you were busy with the press tour last week so I'm assuming that's why you didn't reply. Hope everything went well, you sounded great on Ellen which was the only one I got to see. Anyway, this next week is going to be a circus but once the finale is over I'd like to sit down and talk. I'm possibly being watched so even sending this text might get me in trouble but... I just wanted you to know what was going on on my end, and to see how you're doing._

He hit “send”, then put his phone in do not disturb mode before shoving it into his pocket, starting up his car and heading for home. As his mind mulled over the many possibilities for Phichit not responding coupled with the hope that he would, the ten minute ride felt like half an hour. He pulled into the driveway of his apartment complex, pulling his phone out and lighting up the home screen to see a text notification from a friend, but nothing from who he really wanted to hear from. Taking a deep breath he unlocked the phone and went to Phichit's contact to see if perhaps something had come through and not given him a notification (because that did tend to happen, right?), scrolling down to where he'd sent his text, and sighing sadly at what he found there.

**_Read_ ** _ 9:58 PM _

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Note:** With this chapter, the rating has been changed from "Mature" to "Explicit".
> 
> The "Josef" mentioned is Josef Karpisek, who is Christophe's coach in YOI. He's been added to the tags (or will be by the time you read this).
> 
> Although the original artist of Victor's song is The Who, the version I've added to the playlist, a live cover by Heart, is closest to how I picture Victor's performance of the song vocally. Speaking of, the [fic playlist](https://open.spotify.com/user/fallbackintome/playlist/0jJjh4a3fv5oXd7iSJMhSH?si=BChULpH5RsmhXS8wmygm0Q) as per usual has been updated with this week's songs.
> 
> Thank you for your comments, kudos and for taking the time to read this monster fic; your input is always appreciated. Feel free to share this fic with anyone you think may enjoy it! And I'm at @HuntressFirefall on Tumblr (or trying to be) and @AslanKatsuki on Twitter if you'd like to connect. See you next chapter...not too much left now. :)
> 
> PS: I edited this chapter as I went along to speed up the process of getting it posted; hopefully I haven't missed anything important, lol.


	17. Results - Week Ten and Grand Finale - Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “This is going to be our last hurrah, we are going to throw so much fabulous out there the world won't know what to do with it,” Chris said.

**Morning of Top 3 Results Show – Superstar Mansion**

“You mean to tell me you knew how to make these all this time and never once offered to? This is a tragedy, we can't be friends anymore.”

Victor was ribbing on Chris as he and Yuri sat down to the breakfast Chris had made, which featured from-scratch Belgian waffles. Chris had insisted on doing it “for the Top Two”, which had already started a good-natured spat between the three men, but now Victor was “annoyed” for an entirely different reason as Chris brought over a plate full of the fat waffles as Yuri helped bring the toppings to the table, then ran back for the sausages he'd browned up after insisting he help out.

“Every time I thought about it I'd come down and Nikolai would have a crew cooking already,” Chris said. “And I also don't know how to cook for more than two or three people at a time, with my luck we'd have had enough waffles to pave the driveway!” he laughed as he sat down with them.

“Fine, fine, but I want the recipe or you'll have to make them again at some point when we're on tour,” Victor said. “I don't know how but we'll figure something out. We'll get a waffle maker for the road.”

Chris laughed at that. “You are this bent out of shape about waffles? Darling, I think you've got bigger concerns looming.”

“Shhh, we shall not speak of such things right now,” Yuri said as Victor took a bite of his waffle and proceeded to feign fainting onto the table.

“Oh my god these are so good,” Victor said as he sat back up. “Yeah I'm still mad at you because I'll be craving these for months now.”

Chris' curious frown was mixed with concern as he turned silently to Yuri, who in turn mouthed the word “stressed” as he gestured toward Victor with a sideways nod of his head; Chris nodded in understanding as they settled down to eat. Once they'd all had their fill they relaxed a bit with their coffee and tea, the elephant in the room hovering that much more as they bantered about superficial things. Finally, after yet another awkward pause, Victor looked over at Yuri.

“You seem unusually calm today,” Victor said, causing Yuri to blink.

“And you're unusually rattled,” Yuri noted gently.

“Way to flip the script, Nikiforov,” Chris quipped.

Victor sighed heavily. “I hate this. Can the three of us just win? It's so... it's lonely here with everyone gone. It feels like it took forever to get to this point but then the last few weeks, since Yura went... it's all happening so fast and then it's going to be over.”

“And then we'll have the tour,” Chris reminded him. “You keep acting like this is going to be ending with the finale and it's not. We're going to _want_ to be away from each other by the time the tour is over after living in rolling sardine cans for months.”

“It will all work out, Victor,” Yuri said gently. “I mean... some of us might not see each other very much after this, but there's no way we'll not all stay friends even if it's long distance. We've all been through too much together to not be. I'm sad about it too, and it's upsetting that this is almost over... but I'm also way excited about what's ahead. You've been the one telling all of us that when we'd worry about the future. You need to listen to your own advice.”

“I know... I just... don't know why this is hitting me so hard,” Victor said. “Maybe because it's the first time I've felt like I had a family... like I wasn't totally alone...”

“And you won't be,” Chris said. “You have your mother back in your life, and you're talking about moving to LA, and I'm sure some of us will be doing that too. I know Mila and Sara are. Matheu and I are discussing it, we're going to see what happens for me after the tour. Don't treat this like it's the end.”

Yuri could tell that Victor was still upset, so he pulled his chair closer and wrapped his arms around Victor, with Chris following suit; in response Victor returned the embrace with one arm around each of his friends.

“I guess... it's just, all my life the people I thought were friends or felt close to have come and gone,” Victor began, their silent support causing him to finally open up. “Even when I was young, it was difficult to keep friends because of a few different reasons. Most of the friends I had were from dance school, and they'd move on to another school or another dance company and we'd keep in touch a little but then it would end. If I had friends from regular school, eventually they'd give up on me because I didn't like bringing them home because of my father being... well, not very friendly to anyone from outside our home. And he wouldn't allow me to go to their houses or anything unless my mother could come to 'protect' me, so I just didn't bother. So I've never had people just... stay in my life. Everyone's always left at one time or another...”

“We'll go our separate ways at some point,” Chris said, “but like I said not all of us will be apart from each other depending on what happens. But it's also much easier to keep in touch now than when you were a kid. I'll be FaceTiming you at 3:00 am because you know I'll forget time zones and how they work when I'm somewhere else,” he smiled.

“It's going to be okay, for all of us,” Yuri said. “It will work out. Hopefully we'll all be so busy with chances to do new things, you won't have time to be lonely. You might even get sick of people eventually.”

“One day at a time, darling,” Chris said, ruffling Victor's hair. “Now don't make us throw you in the pool to get you to snap out of it.”

Victor laughed at that. “No, no, I'd rather not, that one time you shoved me in was enough.”

“You know what? It's pretty early yet. Let's go in the gym and work on our group number. If that doesn't cheer you up nothing will,” Yuri said; the prospect made Victor's face light up with a smile immediately.

“Yes, let's do that, I'm really looking forward to this one,” Victor nodded, grabbing his coffee.

“This is going to be our last hurrah, we are going to throw so much fabulous out there the world won't know what to do with it,” Chris said.

“I don't know how I'll keep up with either of you, but I'll definitely give it my best shot!!” Yuri laughed as they headed to the gym. “If we gotta get cut down to two tonight, we might as well go down with something everyone's going to remember.”

“There's no way they won't remember this!” Victor grinned. “Takeshi's going to flip his shit when he sees what we've come up with. He'll regret choosing it for us!”

“If so, then mission accomplished!” Chris grinned.

 

 

**Results Show Dress Rehearsal – Main Stage**

“What are you guys even _doing_ oh my god! This is amazing, I'm dying!!”

Yuko had come to watch the dress rehearsal after some other work on the Eros Entertainment studio lot, and hadn't stopped laughing for the last fifteen minutes as Chris, Victor and Yuri ran through their group number. Takeshi and the band had all taken turns cracking up as well and as a result they'd had to restart it three times.

“Oh my god you guys are insane!” Takeshi grinned. “This is too much, I threw this out there as a joke and I can't believe you ran with it. I don't even know if I'll be able to play without laughing my ass off!”

“This is what the public gets for keeping me here and forcing me to work with my evil twin,” Chris said, gesturing to Victor. “They should have kept Phichit, this would have gone a lot less insane. Now they will learn.”

“I think Yuri is going to kill me to be honest,” Victor said. “The rap in the middle, the way he changed up the words, I lose it every time. I'm just going to stand there laughing hysterically and forget the choreography.”

“Stay professional Nikiforov!” Yuri said. “Get it out of your system now!”

“That's the best part, like _no one_ is going to expect this from Yuri,” Takeshi grinned.

“Okay, I don't know what's going on up here but all hell has broken loose and you guys need to calm it down!” Everyone on stage turned toward the laughter-filled words of Celestino as he walked out from the wings, having arrived to sound check with his band for their performance. “I've been watching from over there and I think you're all on crack at this point.”

“It's called sleep deprivation!” Yuri laughed.

“Stress relief,” Victor added.

“I don't know these two, I'm just doing whatever,” Chris said, causing more laughter from the various people on the stage.

“Well it's good to see you having fun though,” Celestino said. “Probably a good idea because this coming week is going to be pretty intense.”

Victor nodded. “Yeah, there's already enough to rehearse with the finale alone and plus three songs for whoever ends up being the Top Two.”

“Yeah, everyone's going to need to take care of themselves,” Celestino nodded. “At least whoever goes this week won't be doing a promo tour, they'll stay in town to work on the finale. That will help them at least.”

“Oh, good call,” Yuri said. “I'll get to sleep then.”

Victor turned toward him and gave an angry glare. “He's been talking like this since we got here and I'm going to kick him off the stage in a second.”

“Hey now, don't get ahead of yourself,” Celestino said, patting Yuri's shoulder. “Any one of you could go depending on the votes. All three of you are worthy of being in the finale and the only reason one of you will go is because you have the least amount of votes.” Yuri nodded quietly then, and as Takeshi called time on the group number rehearsal so Iceheart could set up for their soundcheck, Celestino draped an arm around Yuri's shoulders and took him over to the side of the stage.

“Hey, you okay Yuri?” Celestino asked as they sat in the contestants' chairs.

Yuri sighed hard. “I guess... I mean... as we've been rehearsing today it's pretty obvious that Chris and Victor are going to be Top Two. They both have big personalities and crazy good voices and the stage presence to pull it off. I guess I'm just preparing for the inevitable so it doesn't hit as hard. I mean... Phichit should be here right now instead of me and he's gone, so... yeah.”

“Don't underestimate yourself,” Celestino said. “You've grown so much since you've been here. You're starting to peak at just the right time and open up to show the world more of yourself. What I'm seeing here in just this rehearsal is a thousand times more than you would have shown us in Hollywood Week. I really don't think anyone missed how well you did last night, especially with the Gavin DeGraw song. I think you should stay positive till you find out otherwise and even then, stay positive because no matter what happens you've got a great future ahead of you.”

As Celestino continued to converse with Yuri, Chris and Victor had headed to the green room to relax and get something to eat before showtime. Victor sat down hard in a chair, burying his face in his hands as Chris sat down next to him.

“It's not so much losing everyone that you're worried about, is it?” Chris asked Victor after a few moments. “You're worried about losing Yuri.”

Victor's head snapped up then, his eyes going wide.

“That's what I thought,” Chris verified. “Do you know what's going on for sure yet with the two of you?”

“That's the thing... there's _something_ happening and I know how I feel but... I don't know if Yuri is as serious as I am. And I'm... I'm scared about that.”

“Well, even if he does go tonight you'll still have the tour to figure things out,” Chris said.

“I've just... I've never felt like this about anyone before. And I don't know how to deal with it or handle it and I keep wanting to ask him right out but if I do that, I might scare him off. I've learned that he has to come to his own conclusions, realize his own feelings about things. If he feels pressured he gets anxious and spirals and I don't want to cause that, especially now.”

“And if you ask him right out, you might not like the answer, which I think you're afraid of too,” Chris noted.

“Well... yeah... and that would make the tour really... difficult,” Victor said.

“Then just let things happen and deal with it when they do. You're just adding more stress to an already stressful situation. Let's face it, you're going to make it to the finale. You will have enough to worry about as it is, so just calm down and let the chips fall where they may,” Chris said.

Victor was about to respond when Yuri came into the room and walked right over to Victor upon seeing the worried look on his face. “Are you still stressing?” Yuri asked, sitting down on the side of Victor opposite where Chris was and rubbing Victor's back reassuringly with a hand. “I'm sorry I said that, I guess it's just my way of dealing with it. I didn't even know it slipped out.”

“It's fine... I know,” Victor said. “I didn't mean to snap at you.”

“Look, at the end of the day this is all out of our hands,” Chris said. “It has been since the beginning whether we want to believe it or not. We can do the best performance ever and still go, I mean look at the last couple of weeks. It's all down to numbers. It's what we do from here on out that counts. So stop worrying about who will be here and who won't and focus on what _you_ need to do.”

Victor nodded then, taking in another deep breath. “Okay. I'll do my best, anyway.”

 

 

**Results Show – Top Three Week**

_Going to video cold open in 5... 4... 3... 2... 1!_

_Shots of each contestant walking into their auditions_ **Morooka, voiceover throughout:** It all began with one song.  _Clips of each singing bits of their audition songs_ And now, it's all come down to tonight.  _Dramatically-lit, shadowy video portrait shots of each contestant as their profiles are read_ Christophe Giacometti, the showman with a flare for the dramatic. Yuri Katsuki, the soulful singer-songwriter with the ability to break hearts with his voice. Victor Nikiforov, the big-voiced classic rocker with the even bigger stage presence. All three are unbelievably talented... but only two can make it to the Grand Finale.  _Shot of the three of them standing together in the same dramatic lighting_ Who will it be? We'll find out tonight in our most shocking elimination yet. THIS... is Superstar Grand Prix!!  _Go to opening montage._

As the trio waited behind the screens they all exchanged worried glances as the word “shocking” was once again used to describe the elimination. Victor smirked and mouthed the words “it's me”, which prompted Yuri to shove him and Chris to flip him off as both broke into laughter.

The trio had expected the time allotted for Morooka's chatting with the judges to be longer than it was considering there would only be one segment for eliminations, but instead Seung Gil directed them to get ready to start their group number in one minute. Knowing that there was always a possibility of last minute changes to any live show by this time, they thought nothing of it as they took their positions, with Victor already getting a low-key case of the giggles at what was about to happen, knowing that it would likely cause Twitter to explode before the performance was even over.

“All right, first up we have a special performance from our Top Three,” Morooka said. “We've been hearing about this one from Takeshi, who chose the song, that we're in for a pretty fun performance so let's get to it. Here are Victor, Chris and Yuri, our Top Three Superstars!”

The screens rose and the trio had their backs facing the audience. As the band began the nearly cold open to the song [Bang Bang,](https://youtu.be/nzJedshRyNo) the three of them shook their backsides in unison in time to the beginning bass riff. Chris spun around to the front and began to sing the first verse, with Yuri in the center and Victor on the left as the audience faced the stage with their backs still to them, continuing to shake in time with the music as they sang the backing parts. Yuri and Victor then turned around as the first chorus began, singing as Chris improvised over them. They walked in time to center stage, where Victor began the second verse. This time Yuri and Chris had their backs to the audience for the verse then turned around as they got to the chorus, walking this time up to the edge of the stage.

And then the part that no one was able to hold it together for: Yuri stepped forward and broke into Nicki Minaj's fast-paced rap in the middle of the song. The audience burst into louder screams and cheers than they already had been, everyone in the band broke into grins, and when Yuri got to the modified line that he changed from the original – from “It's me, Jessie and Ari, if they test me they sorry” to “It's me, Vicky and Chrissy, all sweaty and sticky” – Victor completely lost it, laughing so hard he could barely keep up with the silly choreography he and Chris had come up with for that part of the song. Minako literally scream-laughed in her seat, Celestino was grinning and laughing nonstop and even Yakov had cracked a smile that was part amused and part impressed.

Yuri then sang the line with the insane high-note run that led them into the final chorus, then continued to improvise over Chris and Victor's backing vocals, singing anywhere from his low to high range. The three of them continued their choreography, reprising the chorus twice more with Victor and Chris taking the main part of each and the other two doing the backing vocals. They ended the song by turning their backs once again and dropping their microphones in unison as the audience broke into absolute chaos, screaming near hysterically. The director let the noise continue for a full 15 seconds as the Top Three turned around to take their bows then all embraced in a laughter-filled group hug as the show cut to commercial break. The screens dropped down for the quick set change and Celestino ran to the backstage area to get ready for the guest performance with his band.

As Chris, Victor and Yuri sat down in their chairs Victor still hadn't stopped laughing. “Oh my god the rap was insane!” he said. “Especially when you really listen to it and how dirty it actually is!”

“Well that's why I thought the line change worked!!” Yuri said.

“That was way too much fun,” Chris said, “and exactly what we needed to break the tension. Takeshi kept making the pun that whoever leaves tonight was going out with a bang but it's really true after that performance.”

The show returned from the commercial break for Celestino's longtime band Iceheart's performance of their new single. While Chris and Yuri weren't especially familiar with the band's past music, Victor was due to his mother having had their CDs (and now, after finding out she'd been in not one, but actually three of their videos, he knew why). Celestino's voice was a bit more rough than it had been in the band's beginning days, but it was obvious he'd taken care of it and still sounded quite good, with a strong, slightly raspy tone. The music still had their identifiable melodic 80's rock sound, but with a mix of modern rock elements complementing it. The band, with only the drummer having been replaced from the original lineup, still sounded quite good on backing vocals as well, their harmonies somewhat Def Leppard-esque. After they finished Morooka talked with Celestino for a couple of minutes, during which he did a bit of promo for their new album and upcoming tour before the screens came down and the lighting changed into results mode. Celestino had already given his guitar to the tech and was back in his seat as Morooka called the Top Three to center stage.

“First, let's review last night's performances,” Morooka began, going in the order they had performed. “Yuri, you sang 'Perfect' by Ed Sheeran and “I Don't Want to Be” by Gavin DeGraw. Minako said that your first song hit the goal of portraying your comfort level with your performance, and your second saw you opening up and showing us who you really are.”

He paused, then turned to Chris. “Chris, you sang 'Let's Dance' by David Bowie and 'Electric Love' by BØRNS. Celestino said that he loved the variation in the delivery in your voice on the first song, but that he wasn't sure that your second song was the best choice for you, however he liked what you did with it vocally.

“And finally... Victor, you sang Josh Groban's version of 'Bring Him Home' and 'Love Reign O'er Me' by The Who. Yakov said the sensitivity and emotion in your first performance would rival that of many seasoned musical actors, but that he would have preferred you to keep your delivery more clean on your second song.”

Morooka then turned to the audience; behind him, the three men locked hands as they had been doing each week since the Top Five.

“I'm going to name the first person heading to the Grand Finale right now. And that person....

…is...

Five eternal seconds of the anxiety-inducing, low-level pulsing music, during which the studio was eerily silent; as a result Morooka's near-shout startled the three of them.

“ _ **Victor Nikiforov!”**_

For a moment Victor himself hadn't realized his name had been called as he'd expected it to be either Chris or Yuri; when he did he buried his face in his hands, the relief washing over him after the low-key anxiety that had formed over the revelation of the results being “shocking” earlier on. The crowd went insane, the chaotic screams forming up into a short chant of 'Victor! Victor!' Both Chris and Yuri hugged him tightly for a few moments and then Morooka gestured to him to step forward and take a bow before walking up to him with the microphone.

“Congratulations Victor, you have made it to the Top Two,” Morooka said, with more applause and cheers. “Do you have anything you'd like to say to your fans?”

“Oh god... just... thank you for supporting me,” Victor said, his voice still a bit shaky with emotion. “I'll do my best to make you proud in the final.” Morooka's next few words were drowned out by another round of applause, cheers and screams as he sent Victor back to the chairs; Victor stopped and hugged Yuri and Chris once more before walking back over.

“And now... the moment we've been waiting for... who will be the second member of the Top Two?” Morooka said. “After the worldwide vote...”

...again, that damn music, this time for probably about ten seconds.

“ _ **We have a tie!”**_

Both Chris and Yuri's faces turned completely shocked, the color draining from both; Victor jumped up, both hands going to his head in utter disbelief. The crowd went insane for several seconds until the “Quiet Please” screens went up as all three judges sat at their table in wide-eyed disbelief as well.

“I found out about these results just before I walked out tonight,” Morooka said. “And so, we must have a tiebreaker. To do this, we are going to have Chris and Yuri sing off against each other.”

Chris gasped, and Yuri felt himself freeze up. Over at the chairs, Victor felt his stomach clench, terrified Yuri would panic and nearly ran over to him, gripping the arms of his seat to stop himself.

“Each contestant is told to have a farewell song ready to sing should they be voted off each week,” Morooka continued. “Those songs are edited to two minutes. We will have Chris and Yuri sing the songs they had chosen in advance, and we will give the judges the length of the commercial break to debate and decide which goes to the final.” The audience erupted in a mix of approving cheers and disapproving shouts and boos.

Chris gave Yuri a tight, reassuring hug before Morooka sent him over to the chairs for Chris to take center stage. As soon as Yuri got there Victor wrapped him in a tight hug.

“You can do this,” Victor said. “You've already done this song and it's a short version. It's two minutes. You can handle it,” he said, rubbing Yuri's back as the lights dimmed, at which Yuri sat down next to him, silent. Victor used the cover of the dark to keep holding on to Yuri's hand.

“For the first performance in our sing-off, here is Chris with 'Show Me the Way' by Styx,” Morooka announced.

Chris stepped forward as the song began, falling into the feeling of it immediately. He poured even more emotions into it than he had the first time he performed it. The first verse was edited to transition right into the change with its soaring vocal on the “tell me how will I know” line, then back into one last reprise of the chorus that included the “give me the strength and the courage to believe that I'll get there some day” line, then ending with the quiet repeat of the first two lines of the song. When he finished the audience erupted into cheers and screams for about 30 seconds. As Chris made his way over he stopped to hug Yuri, who was on his way to center stage.

“Sing your heart out, darling,” Chris said. “Do the best you can and leave it all on that stage. The rest is out of our hands.”

Yuri nodded, biting his lower lip as he headed over to Morooka; as Chris sat down next to Victor he wrapped his arm around the Russian's shoulders, giving them a squeeze to comfort him as he sat with his hands folded nervously, elbows on knees, chin on top of his clenched fingers.

“With Bruno Mars' cover of 'All I Ask' by Adele, here is Yuri!” Morooka introduced.

Yuri began, settling into the quiet first verse, singing with gentle, soft tones before the mid-range for the first chorus. The song was edited to go into the change, where the band began to come in. Suddenly, Yuri felt a surge of emotion:  _I have to win this._ The emotion transferred into the modulation as he belted out the “all I ask” refrain that changed keys on the second refrain of the line. As he went into the final chorus he utilized his vocal control to execute the most acrobatic runs he'd done yet, expertly weaving several notes together while staying perfectly within the scale and key of the song especially for the big ending on the final “again”. As he finished the crowd exploded; Yuri felt the adrenaline coursing through him and causing his body to tremble as he took his bows. Morooka then called Chris back to center stage.

“All right, there you have it. Both of our Superstars have given very solid and impressive performances,” Morooka said. “Now it's up to the judges. We'll find out who they've chosen after the break.” The show then went to commercial with the audience buzzing; in the front row, Mari and Matheu were on pins and needles with Taisia also wringing her hands, nervous for both of them.

Chris turned to Yuri then, wrapping him in an embrace. “No matter what happens, we both did our absolute best,” Chris said, giving Yuri's back a rub. “It's all good. This is just like when the judges were cutting everyone in Hollywood Week. We've come full circle,” he winked.

“I know... this is just... this is insane... how did we end up tied??” Yuri wondered. “How is that even possible?”

“Maybe they'll explain it,” Chris said. “Or who knows, maybe they won't. Whatever the case, I still feel like the right person will go through in the end.” Seung Gil then called 30 seconds to live, and Chris gave Yuri one more squeeze as they turned toward the audience. Out of the corner of his eye Yuri saw Victor get up and run over, confusing Morooka; Victor announced that we was standing right there and wouldn't leave so he could support both of them, and Morooka let it go as the cameras went live.

“All right, we are back,” Morooka said, with Victor standing on his right and Chris and Yuri on his left. “Judges, have you come to a decision?”

“Yes,” Yakov said. “We have discussed it, and it was still very close for us. But only one can go through. Before we name that person, remember that both of you are immensely talented, and you will both go far. This decision does not reflect on your talent, but rather, we took into consideration the performances last night, and this one now, to ultimately decide.” Yuri and Chris nodded, then wrapped an arm around each other as Victor folded his hands, pressing them to his lips.

Yakov looked to Minako and Celestino one last time; they both nodded their agreement with the decision. “The person going through to the Grand Finale...”

Another, five second dramatic pause.

“...is Yuri Katsuki.”

Yuri wasn't sure he heard correctly at first; when he saw the signs in the audience with his name start popping up is when he realized that the judges had chosen him. He felt as if he were going to pass out and was grateful for Chris scooping him up in yet another hug as he got his bearings, then finally broke down into tears, hugging him back.

“Oh my god Chris... I'm so sorry,” Yuri sobbed into his shoulder.

“Don't be! You have come so, so far,” Chris said. “You've grown so, so much. I couldn't be more proud to have shared this journey with you. I'll be fine. We'll all be fine. But you completely deserve this my dear friend. Embrace it and kick ass next week. I expect nothing less than that.” When Yuri pulled back to say something more Chris placed a kiss on his forehead to startle him out of it with a grin, then let him go. “Now go take your bows,” he grinned, urging Yuri on with a hand on his back.

Yuri stepped forward, the tears still running down his cheeks as he took a bow, declining Morooka's offer to speak as he was too much of a mess to think of what he even wanted to say. A few seconds later, after Victor was done hugging Chris tightly and tearing up himself after having Chris speak similar encouraging words to him, Victor walked over to Yuri as directed, wrapping his arms around him and hugging him as well.

“And here are the Final Two Superstars!” Morooka announced with a flourish, the crowd going insane once more and the judges standing and applauding as well as Chris, and the rest of the Top Twelve below in the audience, their families, Lilia and Emil. Yuri came to his senses a bit more and turned around to face Chris and began applauding him, with Victor following his lead a moment later before the three embraced once more.

“Chris, let's take a look at your journey,” Morooka said in introduction to Chris' farewell montage. Upon being asked if he wanted to sing once more or say a few words, Chris opted to speak instead.

“I want to thank everyone who gave me this opportunity,” Chris began. “The judges, first and foremost, for putting me through from my audition and all the way through Hollywood Week. The fans, for voting for me and supporting me all the way to the Top Three. Matheu, for believing in me and sticking with me and coming all the way around the world to be here. To Grandpa Nikolai, for all the good food and for being there when we needed a little extra support. And last but not least, the eleven amazing people I shared this journey with” – at this, he turned to acknowledge the other Superstars in the front row below him – “for being the most amazing family I have ever had the chance to be part of. This isn't the end for any of us, but especially not for these two” – he turned to Victor and Yuri then and finally began to tear up a bit – “who are two of the most amazingly talented people I've ever met, and who both deserve this so much. They've both fought through a lot to be here and I couldn't be more happy for them.” He then turned to the cameras. “But you haven't seen the last of me either!” he grinned, then winked, nodding to Seung Gil as he gave him the hand signal to wrap it up. Chris blew a few more kisses to the audience and bowed one last time before stepping back to group hug again with Yuri and Victor, then stand together with them as Morooka took center stage.

“And that's it for this week folks! Next week is our two-night Grand Finale event, where Yuri and Victor will square off for the title of Grand Prix Superstar on Night One, and then an amazing second night of surprises and performances from all of our Top Twelve, and of course the final results! Don't miss it! On behalf of our judges, contestants and all of the Superstars, have a great night everyone, and we'll see you back here next week! Morooka – out!”

 

 

The next few hours were a whirlwind for Yuri and Victor. Instead of the usual routine of decompressing in the green room and then heading home to spend a final night with the eliminated contestant, they had about fifteen minutes to regroup before Chris was sent on home to the mansion and the Top Two had their makeup and wardrobe freshened up before they were taken to a media press conference that included Morooka and the judges. The biggest question everyone had was how the tie had happened, and it turned out that after three recounts there was quite literally a tie between Chris and Yuri, right down to the sales of their respective iTunes tracks. Some photos of the actual tally computers were shown as well as official iTunes data provided by Apple on a screen behind the group before the rest of the press conference continued.

It was then that the pair became aware of the demands from the viewers for a recount, more accusations of rigging, and even issues with how the tie was broken. It was that latter part that Yuri and Victor both had their say in: as Chris had pointed out, the judges had made the decisions on who went through for the entire first part of the process, so it was only fair and a full circle moment that they had been given the task to make this decision as well, and they were fine with it. Both hoped that would lay at least some of the controversy to rest, but thanks to several of the media representatives bringing it up Yuri was now painfully aware that a great deal of the viewers felt he didn't deserve his place in the finale and that Chris had been robbed.

Victor could see Yuri's confidence beginning to waver as the questions kept coming; it almost appeared that as soon as they saw Yuri affected by their needling and accusatory tones (“Did you actually think you could beat Chris? Did you even expect to?), they went in that much more. After about the twentieth question thrown Yuri's way that was yet another variation of “How do you feel knowing that it could have gone either way/that Chris was considered just as good as you and could have gone through” etc., Victor had had enough. As Yuri struggled to find yet another tactful way to answer the same question, Victor laid a hand on his shoulder and pointedly announced that if one more person asked the same disrespectful question, he and Yuri would leave. At first, Morooka seemed startled, but he too was pushed back a step by Victor's icy glare in his direction – after all, as the executive producer, he should have put a stop to it. It made Victor wonder if Morooka had hoped for a different Top Two outcome as well, and he now had his own doubts about the host creeping in.

Once the media reps in attendance could no longer pursue the “Yuri robbed Chris” angle actively, the press event began to wind down. Very few questions were directed at Victor throughout the entire conference, and those that did basically asked variations of what would happen after he won (because everyone was already working under that assumption), which he could see wearing on Yuri as well. Finally the press conference came to a close and the pair were informed that there was another event, a party, that they had to attend. It turned out to be more media and some C-list celebrities (mostly from other reality singing shows) who seemed to be there to up their cool quotients by posing with the Top Two for a quick Instagram or Twitter photo. Victor stuck by Yuri's side, deflecting any rude media reps and mostly speaking for the two of them when it became apparent Yuri was getting more and more worn down. After about an hour at the party Victor had Yuri sit down while he sought out Morooka, finally more than fed up with the situation at hand. He found the host shmoozing at a table with other industry types and people from the network, and Victor caught a few snippets of conversation that sounded like discussion of the possibility of a second season of the show. He waited for a break, then pulled Morooka out of the cluster of suits with a hand.

“Yuri and I are going home,” Victor said. “We both need to preserve our voices, and all this talking isn't good for either of us. We also don't have a day off between now and the finale and we should probably already be in bed. If you want this all to go as you've planned for it, you're going to have to respect that we have a limit to our endurance both mentally and physically. You need us both healthy to make this happen. Remember that, and remember that we're not your possessions.”

Morooka stood, dumbfounded, as Victor whirled around and stalked off to find Yuri, stopping on the way to tell Yuuto to have the car that had brought the two of them to the party pulled around as they were ready to leave. The host was about to follow after Victor when he felt another hand on his shoulder, and turned to see Seung Gil with a wry smirk on his face.

“Now where have I heard something like that before?” Seung Gil said. “Watch your step, Morooka. Victor is a force to be reckoned with, and he's very protective of Yuri. I saw how you're already trying to manipulate this narrative, and Victor is not having it. Yuri is not an underdog. He deserves to be in the Top Two and has since day one. You'd do well to remember that.” And with that, Seung Gil gave the host a pat on the shoulder and an exaggerated grin before turning and walking off into the crowd himself.

Victor led Yuri out of the increasingly-crowded party by the hand, already seeing Yuri starting to feel overwhelmed just by the look in his eyes. They were both exhausted as it was, and the constant verbal assault from the press, the bloggers at the party, and the adoring words of their singing show peers (and a few advances of a more personal nature) were more than enough. He got Yuri into the limousine and told the driver to head for the mansion. He practically threw himself into the car, landing heavily on the seat and slamming the door shut, then rolling up the partition between the driver and their section of the car. Under the cover of the heavily-tinted windows and finally alone for the first time since the morning Victor wrapped his arms around Yuri, who in turned buried his face in Victor's chest, arms latching tightly around the Russian's torso.

“It's all right, Yuri. They're all assholes. You deserve this more than anyone and even Chris told you that. Don't let all this shit get to you. We've actively been shielded from the press and avoided everything and then we get thrown to the wolves and it's not fair. All we have to do is our jobs for the next week, and then it will be over.”

“Why bother?” Yuri said, his voice muffled into Victor's shirt. “Everyone has already crowned you the winner. I feel like I don't even need to bother showing up.”

“You'd better! What's the point if I don't have you pushing me? If we're not pushing each other? I have been looking forward to seeing what you're going to do every week since Hollywood. We already know that anything can happen. If you quit now, you'll always wonder what might have been, but if you keep going, no matter what ends up happening, at least you'll know you gave it your all.”

Yuri sighed heavily, raising his head to look at Victor in the dim light of the car, the streetlights just barely making things slightly more illuminated in an intermittent pattern as they passed through the city streets. “I know. I'm sure I couldn't quit now anyway because of the contracts we signed. And I don't want anyone thinking I was too scared to do this. It's just... tonight's been really rough, and it reminds me too much of the aftermath of the recital, and...”

“I know. I was worried about that as soon as it all started coming out. But you know yourself how the media is with anything like this. They like to make their own stories, and we know for sure the producers of this thing certainly do. I don't really care if they think I'll win or not. I'm of the mind that it could go either way. I'm just going to do what I've been doing the entire time, and then it's up to all those impressionable minds out there to vote however they think they should.”

“To be honest? I don't know if I believe the tie thing,” Yuri said. “It just seems too impossible with that many people voting and buying the tracks.”

“It is suspicious, but the stuff they showed looked legit. Whatever... they're not going to change it now. I'm not going to worry about the parts that aren't in our control, it's just more stress we don't need,” Victor noted.

Yuri was quiet for a bit as the car became consistently dark when the driver pulled out onto the highway to head up into the hills where the mansion sat. The duo both ended up napping as the car became stuck in traffic for about 30 minutes before continuing on its way, but all in all it took them forever to finally get home. They arrived to find that Chris had packed up their things from the dressing room and brought them back with him, their bags in the foyer as they entered and the scent of the waffles Chris had made earlier still wafting on the air... or...?

“Welcome home Top Two!” Chris chirped brightly as he came out of the kitchen. “I hope you're hungry. I had some batter left from breakfast. I told you I had no idea how to cook for a lot of people and by a lot I meant more than two, apparently.” It was pretty obvious Chris was fibbing about the leftovers by the silly grin on his face.

“You are a lifesaver,” Victor said. “I am famished.” Yuri nodded as well with a weary smile. They went up to their rooms to change out of the show clothing they'd been in since early afternoon. As he dug in his bag to find the cream to remove the heavy stage makeup Victor looked sadly over at Chris' side of the room, which was already packed up and ready to go in the morning. _Everyone always leaves..._

Victor shook off the thought as he headed back downstairs, where Yuri was already at the table. Chris had made an assortment of late-night breakfast foods; along with the waffles there were eggs, more sausages, and a bowl of fruit and cream, along with mimosas to wash it all down. As Victor and Yuri dug in they recounted the mess they'd been thrown into as Chris listened, shaking his head and rolling his eyes at regular intervals along the way.

“You know, I had the thought that they made up the tie just to make the results more dramatic,” Chris said. “I think they just did the whole sing off thing to be extra, and that in reality Yuri was the one going through and they knew it. Though the supposed official data looks pretty real. I'm sure we'll never know the truth.”

“Probably not,” Victor said. “But to be honest, after how we got thrown in the press mosh pit tonight, I'm sort of ready for it to be over. Suddenly it's not feeling like so much fun anymore now that we got a taste of what's going on outside the bubble we've been in.”

Yuri had to smirk as he remembered Victor standing his ground at both the press conference and the party. “You'd have loved it, Chris. Victor was letting them _know_. He was fired up. He came over to me at the party and practically dragged me out!”

Chris broke into laughter then. “Oh I wish I could have seen that! But I bet it will be all over the bloggers' sites tomorrow if so many of them were there. I love it. Lay down the law now, and they won't give you shit when all this is over.”

“Unless I ruin my reputation as the nice rocker boy,” Victor said. “I might have just sealed my fate. But if people are going to vote me off because of standing my ground and protecting someone I care about rather than how I sing, then so be it, because I'm not changing a thing.”

 

 

**RealityBytes – The #1 Source For All Your Reality Show Needs || www.realitybytes.com**

**THE WEEKLY BUZZ – SUPERSTAR GRAND PRIX** __**by Allison Winter** _ _

Ohhhhh SuperStans, have I got some big news for you! I was lucky enough to get into both the press conference and the Top Two Party last night, and I can say, without a doubt, that all you Victuri shippers can start throwing your parties now. Not only are your fave ship in the Top Two, but Victor might as well have had a lightsaber and been fending off anyone that came near Yuri. I'm sure you've heard by now how Victor stepped in during the official press conference – that segment of which is conveniently edited out on the show's official website, but can be found in raw footage on our media page – when most of the media were coming down on Yuri. They kept badgering the poor kid with variations of “well, you know, you really kind of suck and Chris deserved to be in the Top Two, how do you feel about that?” and I could just see Victor _seething._

When I got to ask a question I went a completely different route and they both seemed utterly relieved to answer, and then the idiot from Fucks News (you know they're jealous of this show since they lost AI to ABC) goes right back to kicking Yuri in the gut by asking him if he “actually thought he has a chance to beat Victor”. Oh my _god_ , if looks could kill the entire room would have been in the morgue with the way Victor glared at this guy. Yuri tried to answer in a respectful way for the hundredth time and Victor stopped him and ripped the reporter a new one in front of everyone, then said point blank that if that line of questioning continued they'd both walk out. The judges didn't even seem surprised, but Morooka was _mortified._ We all know this show is his baby and his pride and joy and the speculation that he's been pulling the strings behind the scenes hasn't stopped since Yura and Phichit were both eliminated after both were considered front runners, so to see it taken out of his hands was hilarious. He could have stopped the press from coming at Yuri but he didn't and Victor was having _none_ of it.

Then we went on to the party. Victor and Yuri looked completely exhausted and I felt terrible for them. I decided I wasn't going to bother them with an interview; it was loud in there anyway and I probably couldn't have gotten much in the way of recording it even on my phone, so I just congratulated them and took the picture you see at the top of this article (they were so damn adorable debating whose arm should be where when they were putting them around each other for the shot). I did chat with both of them for a few minutes and I can tell you that they're both absolute sweethearts. Yuri is really quiet and shy (and I can see why, poor dear looked like he was just _so done_ ) and Victor is very gracious and well-spoken (and total shallow note but holy crap, how is this man human because he's _gorgeous_ in person. Like, godlike. But I digress.)

Anyway, I was watching and a lot of the snarkbloggers were still coming for Yuri. The poor thing looked like he really needed to get out of Dodge and at one point Victor sat him right down, then went and said something to Morooka and then pulled Yuri out and they _left_ well before the party was over. After that Morooka and the judges were working overtime to schmooze with everyone, but you could tell there was major awkward happening.

I am electing to stay neutral on the whole discussion about whether or not the tie actually happened, and whether or not Chris should have made it to the finale rather than Yuri. Quite honestly, either one of them deserved to make it through and I'm fine with how they did the final decision, because it completely made sense. What I do know is that the whole pitting Yuri and Victor against each other? Unless you're a blind stan who only wants to see and hear what fits your narrative, it's very obvious that these two are very close friends at the very least, and more than likely a couple behind the scenes. Victor obviously cares about Yuri deeply and they're very close, and I'm inclined to think this whole finale will be tough on them as a result. So consider that when reading anything about the show and Victuri during the next week. Because I'm 100% sure that these two are only rivals on the show because they have to be.

And as far as Chris? He's going to be fine. That guy oozes talent and there's no way he won't be front and center with some kind of career after all this is over. His speech at the end of the results show couldn't have been more sincere and I really think the entire Top Twelve are good friends – which, of course, the media hates because they competed against each other and just _can't_ be friends!!! I don't know about you, but I'm tired of that whole storyline of pitting people in the same professions against each other. Sure the whole premise of any of these competition shows is “there can be only one”, but that doesn't mean that you have to hate everyone around you to get there.

I will be watching Victuri next week and rooting for both of them. I'll be happy with whoever wins, to be honest, because they're both talented in different ways. They'll both be getting a recording deal – the winner gets a full album, runner-up gets an EP – so it's not like either are walking away empty-handed. We've seen countless times via American Idol that the winner isn't always the only one from any season that gets the spoils; and sometimes, the winners are forgotten in lieu of that one that “should've been”. No matter what, Victor and Yuri will be on our radar for a long time to come, and I am completely and totally happy with that, and anyone who is a fan of either or both should be as well.

 

 

 

**The Next Day – First Day of Finale Week**

“Oh my god. How am I supposed to do this song?? What were they thinking?”

Upon arriving to his first music meeting with Takeshi for Finale Week, Yuri had been presented with an envelope that informed him of the two out of three song choices that were out of his hands. One of them was what was being called the Coronation Song, a single that both of the Top Two finalists would sing in their own style with corresponding arrangements; that one hadn't been intimidating at all. But it was the other, the Judges' Choice, that Yuri had been thrown for a loop by.

“This is a song Victor could pull off, but me?” Yuri said, still staring at the title on the piece of paper in his hand. “I mean, I love the song and always have but it's just not my style at all.”

“Now calm down Yuri,” Takeshi said. “There have been many interpretations of this song over the years. I'm sure we can find some kind of arrangement that would work for you. But I think the whole point is to maybe level the playing field a bit. My thought about it is this: Everyone knows that Victor can do every genre comfortably. If we gave him the Ed Sheeran song you did this week? He'd be able to do it no problem. Everyone expects it from Victor. But this? If we can find something that we can work with, then it will make everyone second guess the whole 'Victor will demolish Yuri in the finale' bullshit. You're already working toward that a bit with your Contestant's Choice song, so let's build on it from there. Think about what you chose for your Contestant's song. It's kind of out of the realm of what you've done somewhat and I really like what you've shown me. Let's work from there.”

“This is when I wish I still had the other contestants around,” Yuri said. “There were a few times that someone knew of a different song arrangement or cover that worked. I miss bouncing ideas off of everyone, especially Phichit.”

“You all did get pretty close knit,” Takeshi said as he opened a browser on his laptop and typed something into Google Search. “I can see how that probably helped you.”

“Yeah... but now, it would be kind of awkward to get Victor's input on the songs I'm trying to use to beat him,” Yuri pointed out.

Takeshi looked up at him with an “oh come on” face. “Do you honestly think Victor won't offer his usual input? I can't see him being that competitive now.”

Yuri hummed thoughtfully. “Yeah, you're right I guess. It's not like we have much else to talk about when we're alone, at least lately. I'll be glad to get out in the normal world again... or maybe not, seeing as there's already been so much going on about the show.”

“Just avoid social media and you'll be fine. If you do go on it, don't read comments. That's where the cesspools and quagmires are.” Takeshi was scrolling through the results of his search, and suddenly his eyes went wide. “Well shit... I forgot about this one.”

“What?” Yuri asked.

Takeshi began playing a video on YouTube of a cover of the song Yuri had been given by the judges. Yuri's eyes went wide as he listened. “I've... I've never heard that before, I didn't even know it existed!”

“Apparently it was in one of those live musical things they've been doing over here in the States. To be honest I didn't hear about this one either, it must not have been one of the ones that made big news. But... what do you think of this?” Takeshi asked.

Yuri listened, then asked Takeshi to play it through one more time. “I... think I could work with this actually,” he said. “It's still different from what I usually do... but I can kind of see how I could present it. Let's see what we can do with it.”

“That's the spirit,” Takeshi said. “I honestly think you'll do fine with this. Let me find a better version on Spotify that we can crank up loud and you can sing to. We'll get a better feel for it that way. You've pretty much got your Contestant's Choice laid out so we can work on that later, and the Coronation Song is pretty straightforward. We'll focus on this one first.”

 

 

As Yuri went off to his styling session with Georgi and Anya, it was Victor's turn to work with Takeshi on the two songs he'd been given and the one he'd chosen once he returned from his finale dance rehearsal with Yuko. However, he had hit a bit of a stumbling block.

“I'm a bit disappointed at what the judges chose for my song,” Victor said. “It's so... expected. I even asked if they could pick something else, and I was told it's final. At least I got to pick a song for myself that people would be thrown by but I'm really shocked they'd give me something this easy and... well... this overused. And the Coronation Song, that's pretty simple too. I'm going to have to work hard to stand out.”

“Seriously? Of all the songs you are capable of... of everything you're capable of? They gave you that? Come on! I see why you're upset with it,” Takeshi said as he looked at the list. “When I gave you the Who song for this past week, I knew it fit you in the same way but it wasn't a song you hear a lot. But this? Yeah... this isn't very creative at all. I'm thinking Celestino dug this one out.”

“Maybe that's what they're looking for, to see what I'll do with it. I'll do my best but to be honest I don't know of any covers I've ever heard that are all that different from the original. It's kind of a song you don't mess with. So yeah... I'm a little bummed out. But I'll make the best of it,” Victor said. “It's just so... typical rock star.”

Takeshi began to Google again as he had for Yuri; after a few minutes, his eyebrows raised. “Hang on, let's check this out.” He pulled up a cover he found of the song on Spotify and began to play it, and immediately Victor perked up curiously. As it continued a grin spread across Victor's face.

“Okay... now we're talking. I've never heard this version before but this is exactly what I was looking for. It's still close but it's got a totally different feel to it,” Victor said.

“It looks like it was on a tribute album for the original band,” Takeshi said. “So it's going to be something that fans of the band will be familiar with, which is also a plus. And it's different from your usual style but not so much that it's going to throw people off.”

“Yes, I'm definitely loving this. Let's do it,” Victor grinned.

  
  


Once Yuri had finished with Takeshi he was sent to Georgi's temporary studio and workspace that had been set up in the same building as the studio for wardrobe consultations with him, as well as makeup ideas with Anya for his performances. He had shown the song list to the stylist and his assistant, linking his phone to the Bluetooth speaker in the room to play them bits of the songs to give them an idea of what might work for wardrobe. Not long after Georgi came back out of the sea of clothing racks, carrying a bunch of pieces with Anya's help.

“All right, we've got a bunch of stuff here for your performance night and a couple of ideas for the results night,” Georgi said. “But I'm super excited right now because I'm a genius and you need to come see what I've found for your Judges' Choice song.”

Yuri laughed at Georgi's candor; the designer was constantly proclaiming himself a genius in the most ironic way possible and it never failed to amuse any of the contestants throughout the run of the show. “All right, what have you got?” Yuri asked.

Yuri blinked at the outfit Georgi presented to him. The top was a shirt that was a combination of black leather on the right side and arm and fleshtone stretch fabric overlaid with black mesh on the left side and arm that was crisscrossed with more of the black leather in a look that almost created a harness effect. On the right shoulder from the shoulder blade on back to just below the chest on the front ran what looked like Austrian crystals in quartz-like points. The shirt was asymmetrical, with the right side cut longer and almost skirt-like with a red satin under-layer that was attached with more of the crystal accents going across the waist in front and a few more up the ribs on the left side. It was paired with companion leather pants that had a similar cutout with the fleshtone fabric winding down one leg and a pair of patent leather combat boots. The outfit was too small for Victor to wear, so it was obviously not a mistake meant for him.

At first, Yuri stared at the outfit, not really sure what to make of it; it was definitely never something he'd ever seen himself wearing. But as he began to think of the song it was meant for, something began to click; he turned toward Anya then.

“Could you do something for me? Can we... just slick my hair back real quick before I try this on?” he asked her.

“Of course!” she said. She went over to her station on the other side of the room and came back with a bit of hair wax on her fingers; she quickly smoothed back Yuri's hair with a comb. He then took the outfit from Georgi, disappearing behind the changing screen. After a bit Yuri emerged, setting his glasses on the table while pausing for Georgi to zip up the back of the almost armor-like shirt.

Yuri picked up his phone again and started his Judges' Choice song track. As he looked in the segmented, dressing-room style mirror that showed the look from almost all sides he listened to the intro to the song, then began to sing along with it, eyes half-closing. He sang it through the first chorus, turned off the music, and looked behind him in the mirror to see Georgi and Anya looking quite pleased with themselves. He realized he'd been performing in his head, visualizing the stage and how the outfit would look, feeling almost as if he'd stepped into a character... someone that, he realized, was actually a part of himself he'd never thought he'd show the world, until now.

Yuri looked back into the mirror at himself, at someone that he didn't recognize, but only for a few moments. Someone no one would ever expect, maybe not even the judges that had chosen the song. _If Victor can surprise the world, so can I. Let them laugh, but I'm going to show them the new me._

“Yes,” he said. “This will work just fine.”

  
  


While Yuri headed off to work with Yuko on his dance number for the finale, Victor went into his styling session with Georgi and Anya. For the most part Victor was much easier to style, with the affable Russian always game to try new things even though they'd leaned toward an overall classic rock star tone for his outfits. They'd already worked out his clothes for the performance night and now Victor was looking through the sea of Georgi's designs on racks to find something suitable for his own dance number. He finally paused as he came across a black stretch-satin bodysuit encrusted with black sequins in a V-shape down the front and back that led to three strands of crystals that were strung and draped over each hip, secured from mid-back to the waist in front.

“What was this from?” Victor asked curiously as he took it off the rack, looking it over as it dangled from the hanger.

“Oh! That was actually a figure skating prototype costume I got commissioned for,” Georgi said. “The skater ultimately had to turn it down because his coach was worried about the beads flying off when he jumped. He was really disappointed. I was so happy with it that I kept it, figuring I could maybe use it in some other way.”

“Mind if I try it on?” Victor asked.

“Not at all! The beads are individually tied onto the nylon cord and then the cord is double looped through them. They're not going to come off,” Georgi assured him.

Victor nodded and went behind the changing screens. He'd brought both of his pairs of dance shoes and slipped on the black ones, appraising himself in the mirror with a grin. He came out and Anya literally gasped.

“Oh Victor, this looks amazing on you!” she grinned. “Is this for your dance number?”

Victor nodded. “I think so. It feels good, it's easy to move in which I'd expect from a skating costume. And the beads are fantastic.” He also liked the glittery V of light blue crystals framed by two rows of emerald cut crystals of the same color that accented his hips and the way the strands of Austrian crystal beads overlapped from above.

“It's different than what you've worn all season,” Georgi said. “And it definitely suits you. I can add feet on the bottom so your shoes blend in and it won't ride up, if you like, it won't take long at all.”

“Perfect,” Victor grinned. “Yes, this will work for sure. I'll definitely make a splash in this.”

 

 

After a very long day that included the styling and meetings with Takeshi but also rehearsals for not only their individual numbers for the finale, but an hour with the Top Twelve where they worked on their group song, Victor and Yuri finally returned home. They'd seen Chris off that morning, and it felt like days ago after all the work they'd done for the rest of their time on the lot.

In fact, they'd been so busy and were now both so exhausted that Victor was startled when he walked into his room and found Chris' bed made, his belongings gone, the room feeling extremely empty and lonely. He sat down on the bed for a moment, sighing heavily. Even though he'd seen Chris just a few hours earlier at rehearsals and knew they'd have much more time together on the tour, he hated how cold the room felt without his roommate and friend's presence. He consoled himself with a long, hot shower, then decided to seek out Yuri for companionship in the now eerily quiet house.

He found Yuri in his room with the door open, just out of his own shower and laying on his bed with earbuds in, eyes closed. Not wanting to startle him Victor knocked loudly on the door frame, hoping to break into whatever Yuri was listening to and smiling when Yuri looked over and pulled the buds out, stopping the music on his phone. At his inviting smile Victor walked into the room and flopped on the bed with a grin of his own.

“Yuuuuriiiii I'm dying to know what your songs are,” he said. “Well other than the Coronation Song which we both have.”

Yuri reached over to the nightstand to the same paper Victor had received earlier in the day, handing it to him. “I don't know why they even expected us to not talk about what songs we're doing,” Yuri said. “I'll show you mine if you show me yours.”

“We've already done that, Yuri,” Victor said, cheesy grin spreading across his face; a second later Yuri caught the joke and smacked Victor's shoulder, laughing as Victor handed him his song list that he'd brought with him.

“Ooooh, I like the song you picked for the Contestant's Choice,” Victor said approvingly. “You're going to kill on that.”

“I love yours, oh my god I can't wait to hear what you do with it!” Yuri said. “No one's going to expect that. But your Judge's Choice...”

“Takeshi helped me figure it out,” Victor said. “He found a cover that I really like that I'm going to use.”

“He did the same for my Judges' Choice. I almost wondered if they accidentally gave me the song you were supposed to have, but I think I can work with what we found.”

Victor's brow furrowed as he read the title. “Oh... wow, yeah I didn't expect them to give you something like that.”

“Yeah, I wasn't even sure what I was going to do to present it, but then Georgi found an outfit that worked and I got some great advice from Emil about it as well in the performance mentoring today. It's going to be different from anything else I've ever done, but I'm kind of approaching it like a theater performance, a character... but one based on me,” Yuri said.

Victor nodded. “Even singers do that too though. Sometimes you have to put yourself in the shoes of the person who wrote the song and the emotions and feelings in the lyrics. It's not all that different. But whatever works for you is best.”

“Yeah, I was just trying to visualize it in my head a bit more now. Georgi had to alter the outfit a bit so it was kind of hard to work with Emil on it today. Putting it on is what does it for me so I'm hoping I get it back soon. I think I'm the most worried about this song.”

In response Victor reached over and took the earbuds and phone from Yuri, putting them next to his own phone on the nightstand behind him.

“Hey! I need that, I need to work on the lyrics,” Yuri protested.

“We worked for a solid twelve hours today. You need to rest or you'll be burned out by next week,” Victor said.

“But I can't stop thinking about it, I need to --”

Yuri's words were muffled into Victor's lips as the other man leaned in for a kiss, his chest moving over Yuri's and one elbow straddling his torso on either side. Victor cradled Yuri's face in his hands as he continued for a bit, purring into the other man's mouth as he felt Yuri finally relaxing, his arms wrapping around Victor's back and returning the kiss. One of Victor's hands moved up to mesh fingers into Yuri's hair, with Yuri's hands coming up to curl around Victor's shoulders. Finally, after an extended period of long, languid kisses and soft, playful pecks against each other's lips, both paused for a break during which Victor removed Yuri's glasses, setting them on the nightstand as well.

“I hope that cleared your mind a bit,” Victor said softly, lips brushing over Yuri's.

“Mm... yeah it did,” Yuri said. “I guess it's just really easy to get caught up in everything.”

Victor nodded as his eyes took in the sight of Yuri's increasingly sleepy face, glowing softly in the soft light of the table lamp on its dimmest setting. “It is. But if you overthink, that will show just as much as not doing enough. You have to rest so you can think clearly and know when to step back. It's just like looking at a painting or drawing you're working on; after a while you have to set it aside or you stop seeing what needs to be fixed or changed.”

Yuri nodded quietly, fighting to keep his eyes open. “When you came in I had the thought that I'd like to be distracted in a different way... but...”

Victor smiled softly at the blush that played over Yuri's cheeks. “I had the thought for a moment myself,” he admitted, “but now that I'm comfortable it's hit me how tired I am. I doubt either of us would get things working well enough to enjoy it, and what fun is that?”

The blush over Yuri's cheeks grew a bit deeper at that. “Yeah... I know. I might even end up falling asleep and that would just be rude.”

“Yes, I would be highly offended,” Victor said in a mock cautionary tone that made Yuri smirk sleepily. “I think this week is going to be way too intense to think about much else but sleep. We can play it by ear, but for now, we need to take care of ourselves to get through everything that's on our plate in the next six days.”

“I guess... I'm just kind of... wanting more. I mean... it's not like I've had a lot... or any... before you,” Yuri said, a bashful tone in his words.

“I know, I'm the same,” Victor said. “I've been thinking about that night a lot and how we haven't gotten another chance... but I don't see it happening until we have some time to really relax and aren't exhausted. If it's going to happen I want it to be when we're both completely sure we're ready.”

Yuri nodded then. “Yeah... you're right. But... I hope you were planning to sleep in here now... this house is so creepy knowing we're the only two in it.”

“Well there's security outside,” Victor said with a soft laugh. “But I get what you mean. My room feels really lonely too now, especially since Alexei took Makkachin back to stay with him after he kept getting into things because he was lonely. So I don't think you're getting rid of me.”

Yuri grinned as he wrapped his arms around Victor, snuggling into the other's returned embrace as they burrowed under the comforter together. “Trust me, I don't want to,” he replied.

 

 

 

**Grand Finale, Part One – Performance Night**

“Fifteen minutes guys.”

Yuri and Victor both looked up to see Seung Gil standing in the doorway to the green room; both had just barely heard him over the music playing in the earbuds both men were wearing. Removing one so he could confirm what the stage manager had said Victor nodded, which Yuri took as his own confirmation. As Victor promptly replaced the earbud without further comment Seung Gil took his leave, the tension in the room enough for even him to feel.

It had been an exceptionally trying week to say the least, perhaps the most difficult of the entire season of the show. Both Yuri and Victor had put in 12 to 14-hour days for the entire past week between rehearsing their three performance songs and their performances for the finale results show to be held the next night. Both had fallen into bed within an hour of getting back to the mansion, into each other's arms but so exhausted they could barely kiss before both fell dead asleep. On top of rehearsals and final costume fittings, they'd also done a few pre-recorded bits for the results show including a commercial for the show's biggest sponsor, the shoot for which had lasted six hours and had taken valuable rehearsal time away from them both.

And now, it felt like all of it had flashed by in the blink of an eye. It seemed that just yesterday they'd been sitting in the same room with Chris, preparing to go out for the Top Three show. Hell, it felt like they'd just arrived in Hollywood and that everything up to that moment was a dream. But as they both sat at the table, not specifically ignoring each other but staying focused on what was to to come, both were having the same exact thought: how is it nearly over?

Yuri took his earbuds out, sighing heavily and draining the water bottle next to him. He nearly buried his face in his hands but stopped himself just short, not wanting to mar the meticulously-applied makeup Anya had fretted over, his hair perfectly combed back and set. He'd opted to wear his glasses for the first performance of the night, but not the second; that one, he would need to fall into full character for. He looked up at the clock on the wall; ten minutes. And then one last hour, the final three songs he would sing on the show. His second-to-last chance to be in front of the world on the biggest stage he'd ever stepped foot on, literally and figuratively.

Victor noticed Yuri breaking out of his focused state and removed his own earbuds, slowly regrouping back into the present. There was nothing more he could glean from the repeated listens to his songs. These final performances would be his own last chance to show his talents to the world. He was so exhausted, he quite honestly didn't care who won at that point. He and Yuri would both be fine, no matter what... he'd see to that. He would be content if he won, ecstatic if Yuri won. He was only mildly surprised at his own neutrality but if Victor was being completely honest... for as much as he'd wanted it not to end, after the week they'd both had, he was more than ready for just that.

Victor reached over slowly and laid his hand on top of Yuri's; in turn, Yuri turned his palm up and laced their fingers together.

“Are you ready?” Victor asked softly.

“As much as I'll ever be,” Yuri said. Victor was about to reply when he noticed Yuri's expression change, the familiar sparkle in his eyes when he was thinking about something potentially anxiety-inducing on his part. He was more confused when Yuri suddenly got up, going into the dressing room area for a moment, then coming back with a small velvet box.

“I... when I went shopping with Mari a couple weeks back... I decided I wanted to get something... to thank you for everything you've done,” Yuri said. “Something for luck... something for... whatever comes next. Something that means no matter what, we're... well, I don't know yet but... I... was going to give it to you whenever I got voted off, because I thought I would be. But... well.” He opened the box, and inside were a pair of gold rings. Victor's eyes widened a bit in surprise.

“Yuri... these... they must have cost a fortune,” Victor said. “You didn't have to...” He was quieted when Yuri reached for his right hand.

“I know... but... you've been so worried about what will happen after and... I guess... I just wanted to... maybe help with that,” Yuri said. He slipped the ring over Victor's ring finger, the trembling of his own hands just visible.

“Thank you for everything up to now,” Yuri said. “I couldn't have made it through all of this without you.”

Victor's heart felt like it was going to burst as he smiled warmly, then reached for the other ring, pulling it out of the black velvet it sat in. “And thank you, for being there for me when I've needed it too,” Victor said as he slipped the ring on Yuri's right ring finger. “Now go out there and give your best performances... ones you can be proud of. Don't worry about making anyone else happy but you, or even competing with anyone else but yourself. No matter what happens, if you've done your best, you'll be at peace.”

Both paused as Seung Gil came down the hallway, calling to everyone within earshot, “Five minutes!” He paused in the open door, leaving as soon as Victor nodded in acknowledgment.

The pair rose then, with Victor raising his right hand; Yuri responded by wrapping his right hand around Victor's, the rings making a soft click as they touched. They locked eyes, both smiling softly; Victor then pulled on Yuri's hand, bringing him into an embrace.

“Let's go make this tough for everyone that has to vote,” Yuri said. “Maybe we'll end up tied.”

Victor grinned as they stepped out of the embrace. “I don't think they'll pull that again,” he laughed. “But I'd prefer if you don't make it easy for me.”

Yuri's face drew into a wicked smirk. “Hell no. It's on, Nikiforov. Ganba!”

Victor laughed as he wrapped an arm around Yuri's shoulders as Seung Gil's call of “three minutes!!” prompted them to begin making their way toward the stage door.

“Bring it, Katsuki,” he replied. “Davai!”

 

 

_Going live in 5...4...3...2...1! Live Morooka monologue, lights slow pan up on Victor at stage right._

**Morooka, offstage narration:** “We met him in Moscow nearly a year ago, an undiscovered diamond in the rough. We've watched him grow into a bona fide rock star right here on our stage. And now, Victor Nikiforov is one half of the Top Two contestants, persevering over a pool of a half-million hopefuls.”

_Lights slow pan up on Yuri, stage left._

**Morooka, offstage narration:** “We met him in Toronto, half a world away from his native Japan, where this piano-playing virtuoso stunned us with his amazing voice. And after more than a half-million hopefuls have walked the same path, Yuri Katsuki has climbed his way up to the Top Two.”

_Lights on Morooka at center stage; spots 1 and 2 follow Victor and Yuri as they advance to center stage with Morooka._

“And tonight, it all comes down to three final performances, and your last chance to vote. Tonight, Yuri and Victor will square off for the title of Grand Prix Superstar. Part one of our Grand Finale begins right now. THIS... is Superstar Grand Prix!!!

Victor and Yuri had separate entrances and exits to the stage for the finale, where a temporary changing area was set up as well as a makeup and hair stations for touch-ups. They were already dressed in their first performance outfits, but they would be running through quick changes assisted by Georgi during the two commercial breaks between Rounds Two and Three. However, they currently waited in the wings on either side of the stage as the opening montage and the judges' entrance played out, followed by Morooka's welcoming monologue. Once that was done, the pair waited for their signal as Morooka moved into the first part of the competition phase of the broadcast.

“Before we begin tonight, just a note on the judging procedure for the evening: Critiques will be held back until the end of Round Three, and then we will hear from each judge at that time,” Morooka confirmed. “And now, we must determine the performance order. Can I please ask the Top Two to come to center stage?” Yuri and Victor returned to the stage then, each coming from their respective sides.

“I have here in my hand a specially-minted coin,” Morooka said, showing the gold-plated coin made by one of the show's sponsors that had the show logo on one side, and the words “Top Two Finale Show” and the date on the other. “The logo side of the coin is 'heads'. Victor, you were the final performer in last week's show, so Yuri, you will be the call for the coin flip.”

Yuri drew in a deep breath.  _ Please don't let me be first. I don't want to be first. _

Morooka counted to three and flipped the coin into the air.

“Heads!” Yuri called.

The coin landed, and Yuri nearly forgot once again to not mess up his makeup, stopping his hands just short of covering his face as the coin landed on “tails”.

“Yuri, you'll be up first in each round,” Morooka announced. “Let's have a hand shake before you both head off.”

Victor gave Yuri a look that was first sympathetic – Yuri had said several times that he hoped to not perform first – then changed to encouraging as they clasped right hands, with Victor giving him a playful wink from behind his signature swoop of silver hair. As the screens showed a closeup of first the coin, then their handshake, down in the row where the rest of the Top Twelve sat Leo's brow furrowed in curiosity as he sat between Sara and Phichit.

“What's with the rings, I wonder?” Leo asked as the show went to a break before Round One.

“I... I have no idea,” Phichit said. “When I talked to Yuri last night he didn't say anything about them. I don't even know when he'd have had time to get them.”

Sara leaned forward to peer around Mila on her right to Chris then, who was sitting in the next seat. “Do you know anything?” she asked.

Chris shook his head, his expression just as confused. “Not a thing. All I do know is that they've gotten closer. Unless the two of them decided to elope for good luck.”

Leo burst out laughing at that. “Who married them? Makkachin?”

“Oh god, that would be something,” Phichit giggled. “I guess we'll find out at rehearsal!”

The show returned from break with a flourish of the play-in music. A burst of cheers erupted from the crowd before the “Quiet Please” screens went up and Morooka once again took center stage.

“And now we begin Round One, which is the Contestant's Choice song. Yuri and Victor were given the option to either redo any song they've done between the Top Twelve and Top Three weeks, or choose an entirely new one. Both have chosen new songs, and very interesting ones at that. So let's get to it. First up, performing “Too Close” by Alex Claire, here is Yuri Katsuki!”

The stage darkened into tones of deep purple as Yuri walked out in black skinny jeans, black combat boots, and a button-down shirt in a near to fluorescent royal purple accented with black crystals, the styling crisp and linear to accent the feel of the song. As the synthesizer intro vibrated the stage under his feet Yuri gripped the microphone; he was grateful that, at the last second, he'd opted to go out without glasses as not being able to see the audience clearly helped him to clear his head. He began the vocal in a deeper tone than usual, growling a bit as he sang through the first verse and change, the melody slowly going upward as it went into the chorus, his body moving with a slight seductiveness as he made his way around the stage.

He belted out the hook as the heavy dubstep-backing music vibrated the stage even more, helping him sink back into the feel of the song for the second verse and change. He began feeling more confident as he improvised a few notes before the music stopped and he belted out the first line of the second chorus a capella, sending the crowd into an outburst of cheers and screams. He walked forward as the musical interlude swelled into the final chorus at which he let himself go, gesturing wildly with an almost angry delivery before pulling up into a standing position, portraying the last few lines with an almost cold detachment as he added a last bit of character to end the song with a definitive stamp of personality. He stood at center stage and took his bows for the allotted ten seconds before the lights went dark save for the spotlight that illuminated Morooka at center stage, at which Yuri took his leave to go for his first wardrobe change.

“And now, performing his Contestant's Choice song, Pelle K's cover of “Ever Dream” by Nightwish, here is Victor Nikiforov!” Morooka announced.

The stage darkened into grayish and soft bluish tones as Takeshi extended the normally cold intro to the song by playing an instrumental version of the verse piano for one round while Victor walked forward, dressed head to toe in black leather: Pants that laced up the sides with silver eyelets showing a bit of skin through the diamond-shapes the laces created, patent leather black boots, a black bustier-style, armor-esque torso piece that laced up the front in a match to the laces on his pants, and an intricately-studded leather jacket. He delivered the first verse in a softer tone than on the cover recording, holding out the last word of the first before going up into a high-note scream, then settling back down into his lower register. His smooth lower tone was a stark contrast to the high belt he went into for the chorus, causing the crowd to erupt into screams. He went back down into the slightly growly low register for the second verse before belting the second chorus in the same high range, repeating the switch of ranges for the change. Because the deep notes on the recording for the lines after the guitar solo were much too low for him he stayed in his midrange, then surprised everyone when, despite the modulation changing the key to a higher one, he kept to his midrange, opting to infuse the vocal with emotion instead. He held his arm to his chest almost as if he were embracing the person he was singing to, eyes closing and a peaceful smile spreading over his face, especially at the line “my love it lies so deep”. He finished the song by splaying his arms wide, head snapping back at the last note. He grinned and took his bows, the crowd screaming as the show went to the first commercial break.

In the audience, Yura was sitting next to Otabek, who seemed rather contemplative. “What's up?” Yura asked him.

“Those two songs... if you think about it, they're exact opposites in [the](https://genius.com/Alex-clare-too-close-lyrics) [lyrics](http://www.metrolyrics.com/ever-dream-lyrics-nightwish.html),” Otabek pointed out. “Interesting that Chris says they're just about dating, yet Yuri's song was about leaving while Victor's was a love song. You think they planned that?”

Yura frowned then. “I thought they weren't supposed to tell each other what they were doing,” he said. “It's probably just coincidence. I kind of remember Yuri playing that song in the house on his guitar a few times and Victor and I bonded over liking Nightwish. So it's probably nothing. You worry too much.”

Otabek shrugged. “Maybe, I just found it interesting is all.”

The show returned from break, this time the audience settling down immediately with anticipation.

“And now we begin Round Two,” Morooka said. “This round is made up of the Judges' Choice songs for our contestants, and they've really attempted to challenge our Top Two with their picks. So let's get to it. Performing Chris Daughtry's cover of “Bring Me To Life” by Evanescence, here is Yuri Katsuki!”

Yuri felt a thrill of satisfaction at the gasp of the crowd as the lights came up slowly on him while Takeshi began the ominous-sounding piano intro. The full leather and mesh crystal-studded outfit that now also included fingerless gloves that matched the two asymmetrical sleeves thanks to Georgi, and the decidedly goth-inspired eye makeup Anya had come up with had already thrown everyone. He began to sing in his lower register, his soft vibrato sounding even more ominous as he stalked toward the front of the stage. He'd reached down deeply into his emotions, ones he hadn't dared to touch upon before as the lyrics spoke of how closed off he'd realized his heart, and even his mind had been, before Victor had gotten through to him. As the music of the chorus crashed in the audience broke into a clear, powerful belt, channeling the anger and angst he was currently feeling over his own conflicting emotions and confidence.

As he dropped down into his low range for the second verse he moved in sensual, fluid motions across the stage as he visualized the night things had gotten more intense and how he would feel if he lost their connection. It informed his delivery of the second chorus, belting it out with even more power before sailing into the change. The crowd went insane as he pushed his high range, free hand clenching into a fist as he gripped the microphone tightly. He began an almost predatory stalking across the stage at the driving tempo of the bridge, shocking even Mari who he briefly made eye contact with when she saw the fire in his eyes. He spun wildly back to his place at center stage to sing the final chorus and improvisations, the final note beginning to crack into an emotion-filled growl as he let it fade out with the music. The audience turned into absolute bedlam then, with Emil especially animated with his fist-pumping and screaming in response and even Phichit completely stunned.

Morooka returned to center stage, just barely hiding his own expression of surprise as the audience quieted down. All things considered, he inwardly wondered how the next performance would be received.

“And now, with his Judges' Choice song, Breaking Benjamin's cover of “Who Wants to Live Forever” by Queen, here is Victor Nikiforov!” he announced.

As the audience cheered the lights came up on Victor, wearing black velvet pants and the same black leather boots, a white button-down shirt open to mid-chest, and a mauve blazer that faded up toward the shoulders in an ombre pattern that ended in a pale pink, the shoulders dusted with rhinestones; the sleeves of both were folded to mid-forearm, his hands finished out with deep magenta velvet gloves that covered only his thumb and extended up into the sleeves of the blazer. The drummer of the band counted off with a symbol tap and he began the cold open to the song, with Takeshi playing the acoustic and Victor singing in his low range. Over at the judges' table, Celestino especially blinked at the very unexpected variation on the classic rock song as Victor continued through the hook and the second verse, his delivery gentle but building until he transitioned into the growly part of his higher midrange for the “when love must die line”.

He strode to center stage as the guitar solo played then growled through the angsty-toned bridge before the band opened up and the chorus exploded into a similar delivery as the original Queen version, with Victor's soaring vocals staying in his higher midrange rather than going scream- or falsetto-high. He gestured over the crowd with an open palm for each “who wants to live forever” line, then a final time for the last line, “who waits forever anyway”. The crowd broke into cheers and screams in response, but down in the seats Taisia noticed there was not quite as much of a reception as there had been for Victor's first song, and certainly somewhat less subdued than for Yuri's Judges' Choice performance.

“That was... interesting,” JJ said from his seat next to Minami and Guang Hong. “That was probably the weirdest version of that song I've ever heard. I don't know it worked very well as a grunge song.”

“I loved it!” Guang Hong said. “That song has been used so much even a kid like me knows it. He was smart to change it up.”

“Yeah I think so too,” Minami said. “I can totally see why he went that way with it. I've never heard it done that way before but now I want to check out that cover version.”

The show returned from the commercial break with Morooka once again at center stage.

“And now we are down to the third and final round of the night,” he began. “This song has been written especially for this show, and two different artists gave their take on it by way of tailoring specific arrangements for each of our Top Two. Both Yuri and Victor's interpretations of it will be the iTunes track for this week, the sale of which will count toward the final vote. So without further ado, let's get to it. First up, with his performance of the Coronation Song “History Makers”, Dean Fujioka version, here is Yuri Katsuki!”

As the grand, sweeping introduction of the song began Yuri walked out onstage in perhaps the most flashy thing he'd worn on the show: black boots, dark indigo skinny jeans, and a navy blue satin blazer that wrapped around the front with mesh overlaying fleshtone fabric for the illusion of “cutouts”, over which an intricate pattern of fleur de lis in a rainbow of glittering rhinestones were emblazoned, which mirrored a similar pattern scrolling over the back of the piece from shoulders to the same “cutouts”. An inset of purple satin encrusted with aurora borealis rhinestones nestled into the V the lapels made in front.

Yuri's version had such a joyous feel he was unable to keep from smiling as he sang, moving around the stage almost in dance steps to the waltz-like timing of the song; his dance experience caused him to fall into the stride comfortably so he decided to run with it. After belting the first chorus he dialed back and sang softly through the second verse, the vocal building with the orchestra to the second chorus with the mix of orchestra and a somewhat dubstep feel. As he sang through the final chorus refrains he could feel himself getting more and more keyed up and emotional, going up into his higher range for one repeat of “born to make history”, then spinning about the stage as the orchestra sprialed up into the final coda, then ending with one fist in the air at the final note. Yuri broke into a grin, head tipping back as he felt tears welling in his eyes as the realization hit that he'd just sung his final competitive note on the show. He grinned as he took his final bows, then left the stage as the lights dimmed.

“And now, our final performance of the Top Two. With PelleK's version of “History Makers”, here is Victor Nikiforov!” Morooka announced.

Victor appeared onstage as the same spiraling intro, this time with just the orchestra and no synthesizers, began to play. In a full-circle moment, Victor had chosen to wear the same outfit as his audition: Black jeans, black boots, and the same red and black military-inspired jacket; the only difference was Georgi's addition of a black sleeveless t-shirt underneath that was encrusted with black sequins rather than the Queen t-shirt he'd worn on that day that seemed forever ago now. The first verse was brought in with a drumroll and Victor sang softly for the first part, moving up into his midrange for the second part and the chorus. The song sounded more or less the same until the beginning of the first chorus, where instead of dubstep synthesizers there were heavy-metal-esque power chords accompanying the orchestra.

A driving rock bass anchored the second verse followed by the same metal guitar, with Victor moving up into his rock voice for the second chorus and the remainder of the subsequent refrains. He strode commandingly around the stage, surprisingly electing not to go into his high “scream-belt” range for the remainder of the song but rather staying in his midrange where his vibrato was most prominent. The “rock version” of the song wasn't all that different, but just enough that it suited him a bit better than the more pop-oriented version that had been given to Yuri. The crowd erupted into cheers and screams as he finished with a flourish; he grinned and took his final bow, also staving off a rush of emotion as the stage dimmed and the show went to the final commercial break.

As they would be staying in their final performance outfits for the critique Victor declined any last-minute makeup touch-ups to jog across the backstage area to meet Yuri halfway, with the other man having the same thought. They met and immediately embraced, both having missed being near each other during performances as they had been throughout the run of the show.

“Oh my god!!! The Nightwish song!” Yuri cried. “That was phenomenal! I was watching on the monitors back here while I was changing and dying, I loved it!!”

“Yuuurrriiii what in the _world_ was that outfit for “Bring Me to Life” though??” Victor grinned. “That was so ridiculously sexy, _I'm_ the one that almost died!!”

“Georgi pulled it and when I saw it, it just gave me the idea to make it into sort of a theater performance,” he said. “It worked though, I'm not sure I'd have been able to pull the song off without it.”

“It did!!” Victor said as they made their way to Yuri's entrance to the stage as 60 seconds to live was called. “And 'Too Close' was amazing too, you sounded so great! I'm so proud of you,” he grinned.

“Thanks,” Yuri grinned, blushing a bit. “Well I think you threw everyone with the Judges' Choice song. It was great, I loved the 'what the hell' look on Celestino's face.”

“That's what he gets for giving me a boring song,” Victor sniffed in mock indignation. “Let's see what he has to say now!” he laughed as the show came back from break with Morooka once again at center stage.

“Once again, let's hear it for our Top Two, Yuri Katsuki and Victor Nikiforov!” Morooka called by way of summoning the pair back to the stage. This time they walked out together, pausing at center stage to take their bows while holding hands, doing a two-man “swing bow” before moving to stand together with Morooka to their right, arms around each other in support.

“And now let's go to our judges,” Morooka said. “First, let's hear what they have to say about Yuri's performances.”

“I really, really loved your song for the Contestant's Choice,” Celestino said. “It was still within the bounds of what we've seen from you, but you came out with a different persona and that kicked it up a notch. Great choice of song and really great vocal.”

“Who _was_ that guy for Round Two?” Minako grinned. “We chose this song for you because we thought you'd maybe go acoustic with it, which would have been just as interesting, but instead you turned into goth!Yuri and I _loved_ it! The lower range the song was done in made it more dark and angsty than it already is and so unlike you, but you pulled it off amazingly. Fantastic job.”

“I enjoyed your interpretation of the Coronation Song,” Yakov said. “You gave it the light, happy feel it is supposed to have and your vocals were quite good. It is not a difficult song but you gave it the presentation it warranted and did it very well. All in all, three very solid and even some risky performances, a most excellent job.” The crowd erupted into approving cheers and screams, with Victor nudging Yuri forward to take a bow and wave to the crowd in thanks.

“And now judges, let's hear what you have to say about Victor's performances,” Morooka said.

“Your chosen song was fantastic,” Yakov began. “It is a song originally sung by a woman vocalist, so your interpretation of it in a lower range changed the entire feel of it. It was an excellent showcase for your considerable range with only one place that you used the very high notes that have become your trademark. It is best to use that trick sparingly. A very wise choice and an unforgettable first impression.”

“I was really thrown off by what you did with our song for you,” Celestino said. “I didn't even know that cover of this song existed and I expected another performance in the vein of the Who song from last week. You sounded really great on it but I don't know how I feel about the grunge version of you. Even so, great performance,” Celestino said; the crowd reaction was a mix of boos and cheers as Victor smirked at Celestino's very obviously annoyed reaction to his treatment of the song.

“I'm going to be up front about this: I didn't feel this song was strong enough for either of you,” Minako said, addressing the Coronation Song. “It's a great song on its own but for this occasion, I had hoped for something a bit more grand. But regardless of that, your hard rock interpretation was very impressive. I liked that you didn't use your highest range at all and kept the spirit of the original song. I think throwing any crazy tricks into this would have come off as very unnecessary, so you played it smart with this. Overall I think we saw you at your best, even though I think aside from the first song you played it just a little safe. It doesn't negate what you've shown us up till now and you've always been very thoughtful with your song choices and deliveries and this was no exception. Fantastic job Victor.” There was again a scattering of boos mixed in with the cheers and screams for Victor which brought another smile to his face as Morooka stepped to center stage.

“And there we have it folks... the final competition show of the season is in the books,” he began; the pronouncement made both Yuri and Victor's faces turn melancholy for a moment as the reality set in. “Who will win the coveted title of Grand Prix Superstar? You will decide in just a moment when voting goes live. But first, let's get a recap of their performances and a reminder of the methods to vote for Yuri or Victor.”

The pair turned and watched the recap clips of their performances, which were separated out by round. Both presented strong and interesting performances in Round One, with the crowd cheering equally as each clip was shown. For Round Two, the crowd responded emphatically to Yuri's clip, and very slightly less to Victor's. For the Coronation Song, the response to both was about equal, but both contestants noted that the response was a bit muted, perhaps because the song was new and unfamiliar to the audience. Victor looked down at Yuri, who looked up with an expression of uncertainty that mirrored Victor's feelings; they gave each others' shoulders a squeeze of encouragement before turning back to the audience.

“And that's it for tonight folks! Be sure to join us tomorrow night for our two-hour Grand Finale Results Show, which will feature vocal numbers from all of the Top Twelve as well as some very special surprise performances, and _maybe_ a few surprise guests. And of course, we will find out who takes the title of Grand Prix Superstar! Don't miss it! Until then, on behalf of our judges and our Top Two, have a great night everyone and we'll see you back here tomorrow! Morooka – out!”

 

 

 

Even though the lead-up to the Top Two performance night had been a drain on both Yuri and Victor, their day hadn't ended with the conclusion of the show. As the broadcast began at 5:00 pm Pacific time so that it could air at 8:00 pm Eastern time in the US where the show was produced, the 90-minute production had ended quite early in the evening. After sharing a dinner with the rest of the Top Twelve, there had been a soft rehearsal of the entire two-hour results show. Victor and Yuri had been ordered to partial vocal rest by Lilia and were not allowed to sing, but they mimed through the group number and their own vocal performances. For the first time, the rest of the contestants also got to see, in part, the dance numbers that were planned for Chris, Yuri and Victor, though each only did the bare minimum to help the tech director set up the programming for the lighting. They had all been working in pieces during the week leading up to the show, and the soft runthrough was prep for the final dress rehearsal that would happen in the early afternoon the next day.

As such, Yuri and Victor had returned to the mansion completely exhausted. Both had gotten showers and Victor had made his way to Yuri's room as he had been the rest of the week...

...to find Yuri sitting on Phichit's former bed, looking rather tense. Victor felt his throat clench as he sat down on Yuri's bed, facing the other man as Yuri sat with his hands on his knees, balled into nervous fists.

“So... you said you... wanted to talk?” Victor said, not liking the way this was feeling at all.

“Y...yeah... um...” As Yuri stammered his hands opened and re-clenched; Victor absently noticed the glint of the ring on Yuri's right hand in the lamplight, that matched his own, then forced himself to meet Yuri's eyes. They held the same frightened, uncertain expression that Victor remembered from those very first days in Hollywood Week so long ago, when Yuri had been reluctant to let him in.

Yuri took a deep, shaky breath that made Victor's chest tighten as Yuri opened his mouth to speak.

“Um... a...a—after the finale... let's end this.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of notes for this chapter:
> 
> This chapter is late because Olympic figure skating has taken up a hell of a lot of my time this week and will continue to for a few more days, lol. The next chapter (I haven't decided if it will be the last or not yet) will be pretty extensive and between watching skating and having a lot of stuff to write for it, it may take a bit of extra time as well. So consider yourself warned. :)
> 
> For the "Bang Bang" cover, if you watch the video and picture the three of them going that much OTT, you pretty much have that performance. I was looking for something the three of them could do and Googled "Male trio songs" and this cover came up. It has to be the best thing ever, lol!
> 
> For Celestino's singing voice, I picture it being a lot like [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOvMpND2OZY) (and John Parr bears an odd resemblance to Celestino too IMO which is probably why I gravitated to this song for his voice tone).
> 
> For Victor's state of mind as the finale began, I referenced several interviews that David Cook did where he talked about how exhausted both he and David Archuleta were by the day of the performance show due to all their commitments and how much of a roller coaster the show had been. Cook was literally to the point where he honestly didn't care who won and really just wanted to sleep.
> 
> And now, let's play Spot The YOI Figure Skating Costume References:
> 
> Yuri's "Too Close" outfit doesn't have a specific reference other than some of the men's skating outfits I've seen this week on the Olympics, including the vibrant purple color of his shirt.
> 
> Yuri, "Bring Me To Life" - Eros short program costume
> 
> Yuri, "History Makers (Pop Mix)" - Yuri On Ice long program costume
> 
> Victor, "Who Wants To Live Forever" - Stammi Vicino, Aria (pink) version
> 
> Victor's dance costume bodysuit is a nod to [this prototype costume for Victor](http://huntressfirefall.tumblr.com/private/171068064784/tumblr_p4f67m9FrI1qhahob) that was never used on the show (but the graphic on the official YOI site was named "exhibition" when it was used in the background, so I'm thinking it was the 2015 Grand Prix Final exhibition costume).
> 
> Also linked with the bodysuit is the photo reference for Victor's "History Makers (Rock Mix)" outfit, which is also what he wore for his audition. For the audition there was a Queen shirt underneath the jacket, for HM a black sequinned sleeveless tee.
> 
> As always, thank you so much for you comments, kudos, and for reading, and feel free to share this fic with anyone you think may enjoy it. My Tumblr and Twitter are listed in the main fic notes if you'd like to say hi. I'm off to catch up on comments :) Oh and the [fic playlist](https://open.spotify.com/user/fallbackintome/playlist/0jJjh4a3fv5oXd7iSJMhSH?si=jUixOP_LTfqS6F86MKetVA) has been updated with this week's songs. See you next chapter!


	18. Grand Finale - Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And the winner is...

“ _I'm sorry Victor, we're moving to Moscow so my father can keep his job. We're leaving next month. I'll miss you.”_

“ _My mother wants me to attend a better school so we are moving away. I'll always be your friend though Victor.”_

“ _My dad doesn't like your dad, he says he's too mean and says bad things about us. I can't play with you anymore Victor, I'm sorry.”_

“ _My father found out about me... about us. He's thrown me out of the house. I have to go live with my aunt and uncle, but they don't know the real reason. I can't see you anymore Victor. I hope you understand. I'm sorry I couldn't be more than a friend to you... I really wanted to be more.”_

“ _I will not have a son that lives this kind of life in my house. Do not try to come back unless you change your disgusting ways.”_

“ _Your father found out I was bringing you food. I think he's having me followed. He's also checking the phone and mail now. You're grown now Vitya. I know you'll be okay. I love you... but I don't know what will happen if I try to see you again. I will pray every night for you. I just can't be with you now, but hopefully again one day.”_

_Why?_

_Why is this happening again?_

_I had hoped you'd be different._

_Everyone always leaves me..._

  
  


  
  


“...What?”

Victor felt light-headed, as if he'd held his breath too long, was still holding it, on the verge of passing out. Across from him on the other bed, Yuri's face was horribly conflicted, but the main thing Victor saw in Yuri's eyes... was fear.

“I... we... I don't know what's been going on the last week or so... I... kept trying to let myself open up again like I did that night and... I... don't know why I can't...” Yuri's voice was a strangled half-whisper, the one where he was panicking to the point of terror. Victor had only heard that tone once before, in the bathroom at the Troubadour, months ago, when Yuri was triggered by his own past trauma.

Despite feeling his heart weakening, the cracks that had been mended far too many times after each blow in the form of someone else he cared about walking away, shutting him out forever, starting to open up again... Victor knew all too well that Yuri's tone meant something else was going on. _Don't panic. He needs you right now. This time_ _ **is**_ _different... you just have to get through to him._

“Then tell me what you do feel,” Victor said gently, willing himself to slow his breathing.

“This week... we've been so busy... we haven't even had time for each other... and it's only going to get worse,” Yuri said in the same dry, whimper-ish tone. “You're going to win this, and the whole world is going to want you, and you'll need... you deserve to be able to focus on that. I'll make my EP and probably end up being in Phichit's band or something, and you'll be on top of the world. You can go on to be everything you deserve to be.”

Victor felt the tears welling up even though he'd done his best to stop them. “And what if you win?” he said, his own voice the same teary whisper.

“It won't matter. Everyone already thinks I don't deserve to win anyway. Everyone will be mad that you didn't win, and it will end up where you'll still be the winner in everyone's eyes in the end,” Yuri said. “I'm like every other singer-songwriter out there. You're _you,_ and amazing and beautiful and you'll find someone you don't have to worry about and take care of, someone can stand by your side and just be there for you,” Yuri replied, his gaze dropping to his hands.

“I... had the feeling you weren't in as deep as me,” Victor said, trying to keep the sadness out of his tone and failing. “I... had hope though, after the rings...”

Victor stopped then as he heard Yuri's breathing quicken into the stuttering, shaky inhales and exhales that marked the last part of the descent into a full-on panic attack, but for the first time, Victor wasn't sure Yuri wanted his help to stop it. He held back with all the strength he could manage.

“I... almost didn't give it to you... but then just before we went out, I thought about losing you to all of this... and I thought maybe they'd help but... you... I wasn't sure how you felt about them, that maybe you thought it was too soon, too much.... I don't know. And then I saw you perform... remembered again how you'll be so much more than I'll ever be... and I knew I couldn't hold you back... and you would probably give up on me anyway if I kept being... nervous... clueless about all of this... of us...”

“Yuri... I'd never give up on you...”

“I _know!”_ Victor startled at Yuri's almost desperate-toned shout as he broke down into tears.

“I... I don't know what to do right now,” Victor said, his voice shaking. “I don't know how to help you and I wish I did...”

“Tell me how you feel, tell me the truth,” Yuri half-shouted. “Stop walking on eggshells. I'm afraid because _you_ are! So just say right out what you need to!”

Victor wasn't totally certain he had a complete grasp on what was going through Yuri's panicked mind, but he'd come to realize that he _had_ been too tentative... and it seemed to have set off a spiral of doubt in Yuri. As he sorted through his own emotions, it suddenly completely occurred to him what Yuri was searching for.

“I... I was thrown by the rings, Yuri, but not the way you think... it was... it means more to me than anything but okay yes, I wasn't quite sure what they meant, what you meant by giving it to me... but I know what I want them to mean. I know what _mine_ means to me. You're who I want. I don't care if I have to fight for that, or take care of you when you're going through something. That's what you're supposed to do when you care about someone,” Victor said, not even trying to stave off the tears, his voice cracking more as he spoke. “I don't know what's going to happen even next week, let alone months from now. But I'll find a way to stay close to you... I am not losing you, I can't. I can't lose another person I care about!” Victor was shouting now, and realized it a moment later as his hands went to his head; he drew in a deep breath. “I'm just... I'm mad, okay? I'm mad that I didn't read this right, that I hurt you by not saying what you needed to hear. I wanted to give you time, I know you were nervous but what happened the other night was real and I thought it was enough...”

Yuri had buried his face in his hands at some point, but Victor hadn't noticed through his own tears and confusion. As he scrubbed at his eyes with the back of his hand and his vision cleared he threw all caution to the wind, getting up to go over to Yuri and sitting down next to him, then wrapping him in an embrace.

“This is what I mean,” Yuri said, teary voice muffled through his hands. “I'm a mess, I don't know what I'm doing and all I know is how I feel and I don't want to lose you but I felt like I would anyway and so I thought if I just broke it off we'd... I don't know, move on and it wouldn't hurt as much and you'd be happy and I could be happy for you but... I don't want to do that...”

“I don't want to either, Yuri,” Victor said, pressing a kiss into the top of his head. “We can't be so afraid of the unknown that we give up what's in front of us though, and that's what we're both doing... I've been scared too. I just... I wanted things to move at your pace... I didn't want you to feel pressured because I thought then you'd back off... and I couldn't have handled it if I'd lost you...”

Yuri's arms wrapped around Victor then, his face pressing into Victor's shoulder; in turn Victor rubbed his back comfortingly, murmuring “breathe, breathe” as he tried to calm his own mind, tried to will his heart to stop racing from the adrenaline that had ramped up the moment Yuri had first spoken. As Yuri's breathing evened out and he quieted down, Victor realized that Yuri was... laughing. Softly, against his shoulder as his arms tightened around him.

“We're both a mess,” Yuri finally said.

“What's the term? Beautiful disaster?” Victor said quietly, a smile in his own tone as he rubbed Yuri's back affectionately.

“Something like that,” Yuri said. He then was quiet again for a bit, still holding on to Victor tightly.

“I... didn't react like you thought I would to the rings,” Victor finally said softly, his head clearing as he sorted things out. “You needed to hear something that wasn't about the show, about music... you needed to hear what it meant to me, how I felt. And I was afraid to say it in case it _wasn't_ what it seemed... in case they really were just for good luck and nothing more. And I dropped the ball. That's what made you doubt me, isn't it?”

“I... y...yes...” Yuri's response was tentative, afraid of Victor's response.

“I should have spoken what I really felt in that moment. I'm sorry,” Victor replied.

“I probably should have also... I'm sorry too,” Yuri said.

“You said what you wanted to, but then you panicked. You thought I didn't feel the same, didn't want to be with you, because of what I _didn't_ say. You don't have to apologize for that. You tried to push away so it wouldn't hurt. I get that... I've been there,” Victor said softly, his arms tightening around Yuri.

“Maybe it was the wrong time to do it... I should have done it sooner...”

“No, Yuri. You did it when you were ready to. That's always the right time.”

“I just hate that... ugh... why am I like this?” Yuri said, his tone tinged with regret, some anger.

“Shh... don't. We both messed up, sure. We both misunderstood each other. But we can both clean up the mess too. Right?” Victor reached with one hand then, bringing Yuri's chin up to meet their eyes. At first, Victor saw the mix of remorse, a bit of fear, in them; he leaned in and placed a kiss on Yuri's forehead in response and he felt the other man relax in his arms.

“Right,” Yuri said softly.

“I'll still wait as long as I need to,” Victor said. “I'll still give you time... I'll give you anything you need.”

“I... maybe we should wait to figure out where all this is going until after the finale,” Yuri said, leaning heavily into Victor's chest. “When we're both thinking more clearly.”

“I think that's the best way to go. Come on. We're both exhausted and stressed out. Tomorrow is out of our hands now. Our performances won't be judged and we need to just enjoy it as much as we can,” Victor said. He then reached down to slip one arm under Yuri's knees, the other around his back, then rose to walk the few steps to Yuri's bed to lay him down on it. He climbed in, opening his arms to Yuri again, who moved into them and snuggled close.

“Let's sleep,” Victor said, nuzzling into his hair, rubbing Yuri's back comfortingly again.

“Okay,” Yuri replied, one arm draping over Victor, the other with its palm pressed to Victor's chest. Victor leaned in to place a gentle kiss on Yuri's lips, which he returned. Yuri fell asleep almost immediately then; it was something Victor knew happened after Yuri had a panic or anxiety attack once things were settled and Yuri was relaxed again.

But as Victor lay with Yuri cuddled against his chest he found himself at first unable to sleep, the uncertainty still in the back of his mind. For a bit he played out in his head what he could have done differently, what words he could have said to not instill this hesitancy, this doubt in Yuri's mind that now had put distance between them once again. But then he realized that this time still was different than any other time someone had broken his heart, his trust. This time, he was strong enough to fight for it, to not lose it. And right now, Yuri was still in his arms, not blocking him out completely, and certainly not walking away.

And it was with the realization that there was still a fair amount of hope, that Victor was finally able to sleep.

  
  


  
  


**Morning of Grand Finale Results Show**

Victor and Yuri had serious difficulty dragging themselves out of bed for their 5 am alarm. Both were surprised with a catered breakfast from The Griddle Cafe that was delivered to them at the mansion, along with a card that wished them both good luck for the night to come from their favorite Los Angeles eatery. Both men had chosen to leave the difficulties from last night behind them, their interactions back to the affectionate, more-than-friends-but-not-sure-what-else-yet vibe as at the same 24 hours previous. Victor did not miss, however, that Yuri's face momentarily faded into an expression of relief when Victor met him at the front door wearing the ring Yuri had gifted him, with Yuri still wearing his own. Victor had no intention of going without it, no matter what lay in the future.

A limousine arrived to take the pair to the rehearsals for the day; as they climbed in they found fresh coffee in the cupholders, once again from the Griddle Cafe. Both gratefully sipped on it as the car headed down toward the highway, both of them enjoying the relative silence before all the chaos to come.

Victor looked over at Yuri as the splashes of morning sun played over his face in sync with the car's movement as the other man dozed in his seat despite drinking most of his coffee. Though last night Victor had been close to breaking, this morning had begun with a far more optimistic tone. They'd cuddled a bit before relenting and dragging themselves out of bed, kissed more than once. There seemed to be nothing broken now, the awkwardness he'd expect not present, and it gave him even more hope.

As Yuri's eyes flickered open when the car hit a bump in the road, he looked over at Victor and smiled softly, then reached over to twine the fingers of his right hand into Victor's left. Victor gave Yuri's hand a gentle squeeze, and found it returned as the other man drained his coffee cup.

“So... are you feeling better today?” Victor asked softly, keeping the question ambiguous. They hadn't really talked about their feelings going into the day or their expectations of the night to come; Victor hadn't wanted to set off any anxiety or negative vibes. But at some point, he knew, to not ask would come off as not caring at all, and that was certainly something he didn't want.

Yuri nodded. “Yeah... Last night was just... a lot.” He cast a glance forward, making note of the glass partition between the back and the front of the car. “But we just have to take everything as it comes. Or at least... that's what it feels like. I'm trying not to think too much about anything right now except getting through today.”

Victor nodded quietly. “Me too. Everything will fall into place when it's meant to.”

The rest of the car ride was quiet, with Victor finishing off his coffee and the pair remaining hand in hand in the back seat until the car pulled around the back of the Kodak Theater in Hollywood, where the finale would take place. Up until now they'd been doing rehearsals on the Superstar stage on the Eros lot, but the Kodak's stage was much larger, enough that quick set changes weren't a problem. They would need it with every other member of the Top 12 besides Yuri and Victor having a performance during the show.

The pair headed inside to the backstage area, where they found the other ten former contestants already in the dressing room. The atmosphere was a much more sleepy version of the early days of the show, when everyone was still together, and had a bit of a full-circle feeling. However, shortly after their arrival Anya came in to direct Yuri and Victor to their own dressing room the next door down, which was a bit more roomy and had the makeup and hair supplies laid out for the performances later, with Georgi's wardrobe staging area set up across the hall.

Once they were settled in, everyone was called to the stage. Upon walking out there was an odd feeling of familiarity as many of the set pieces were the same, but the need for adjustment as the set overall was far larger than any of them were used to. There were also far more seats – 3400 – in the theater, as opposed to the 1000 in the studio they'd done the show in.

Everyone sat down on the stage as Takeshi came out with Seung Gil, the musical director holding a batch of papers in his hand.

“Okay, here's the final runthrough order for tonight,” he began. “We're going to do a soft runthrough once you've all got your voices warmed up; Chris, Yuri and Victor can wait until the dress rehearsal to do their dance routines because I know you guys aren't ready for that yet. But... I'm going to warn you guys, these set lists contain some pretty important information. Read them carefully.”

As Takeshi and Seung Gil began distributing the song lists, there were assorted gasps and shouts of “what!” and “are you kidding me?” and “holy shit!!” that confused Yuri and Victor, who received their sheets last. Yuri was almost concerned when before he looked at his own sheet, Victor's face went white and eyes went wide; he realized it a second later when he looked down at his own copy of the page.

“When... when are we going to meet all these people?” Victor finally stammered out.

Takeshi couldn't suppress the grin on his face. “They'll be here for the full dress rehearsal at noon.”

“No really, is this a joke? Because if it is I'm walking out,” Yura said; Victor was amused to note that Yura's hands were trembling.

“Nope. We've been working on securing everyone for several weeks, which is why we started checking with all of you a while back on who your 'dream collaborations' were. We couldn't get everyone, but I'd like to think we did a fairly decent job.”

“Are you fucking kidding me? A 'decent job'?” Mila said, laughing in disbelief. “I'm about to lose my damn mind! How am I supposed to perform on the same stage with my favorite band with four hours' notice??”

“I'm totally gonna forget the words, I know it!” Leo said. “For as many times as I've sung this song in my car, doing it with the guy who wrote it? Yeah I'm gonna go down in flames,” he laughed.

Victor looked over at Yuri, who was still staring at the name of the artist the producers had secured to perform his piano composition, “Yuri's Love”, for his dance number; Victor looked at the name and remembered Yuri mentioning him several times, with Victor noting that he could totally see why Yuri thought so highly of him.

“This is pretty big for you, isn't it?” Victor said softly.

“Oh my god... he's going to play something I wrote... I can't even wrap my brain around this.” Yuri then looked at who was listed as the musicians that would perform the music Victor would dance to. “Whoa, they got that band for you? That's amazing!!”

“I know,” Victor said. “I've always loved this instrumental, but to have the band that performed it playing it for me to dance to is insane. I never in a million years thought this would happen.”

Suddenly from the far end of the stage Minami yelled “oh my god you suck!!” followed by Guang Hong laughing hysterically, partly from Minami's reaction and partly from his own excitement; Guang Hong then countered that Minami had made out pretty well himself and needed to shut up. Everyone had only looked at their own name initially, but as they went down the list to see who everyone else had been paired with, some playful jealousy had reared its head. Victor blinked as he scanned the list, then leaned forward to catch Chris' attention.

“I'm sorry, we can't be friends anymore, I'm super mad right now,” he said to Chris with a grin.

“It just shows how much they love me!” Chris grinned back. “Besides, I'm sure you'll get to meet her.”

The other contestants were having similar reactions: JJ was preening over who he'd been paired with, going on for a bit about how Isabella would be insanely jealous; Otabek couldn't stop grinning, which was entirely rare for him while Yura just kept saying “holy fuck.... holy fuck” over and over. But it was perhaps Phichit who was the most excited as he ran down from the end of the stage over to Yuri and Victor, his voice a high pitch.

“YuriohmygoddidyouSEE??” he cried.

“Oh... I hadn't looked at everyone yet.... _holy shit!!!”_ Yuri gasped as he looked down at Phichit's duet partner.

Victor looked down as well, eyes going wide. “Okay I'm not friends with you anymore either, go away!” Victor laughed.

“God, how did they ever pull this off?” Sara asked Mila. “I mean, we met my duet partner before when she did a guest performance but I'm so excited she came back for this!”

“I have no idea, but this is amazing,” Mila smiled. “It's like a nice consolation prize for all of us who didn't make it and an extra gift for Yuri and Victor too.”

“All right everyone,” Takeshi called out to get the group's attention. “We're just going to do a sing-through for now, and then everyone can get going with dress rehearsal prep. Lilia's coming in now to do vocal warmups, and we don't have a lot of time so we're going to have to keep it tight here. Let's get to work.”

  
  


  
  


The soft runthrough and dress rehearsal went well, with the vocal performances pretty solid as most of the group had already been rehearsing, having had more time to work on their songs due to no longer being active contestants. Yuri and Victor's dance numbers served to conserve their voices, as the pair were already taking it easy on their vocal cords due to an intense week of work.

In their dressing room Anya and her assistant were working on the pair's makeup when, in the mirror behind them, both were surprised to see Morooka's reflection in the doorway. He came in, standing between their two dressing room chairs.

“How are you both feeling?” he asked, his tone light.

“A bit nervous, but a lot more excited,” Victor replied. “I don't know what I expected from tonight but I didn't think it was going to be this crazy!”

“Yeah, it's pretty amazing,” Yuri said. “It's such an honor that so many famous performers want to get on stage with us.”

“We actually had a few requests come in very early on,” Morooka said, turning to Yuri. “We've been in contact with your duet partner since R&B week. He reached out first, and then we found out he was one of your inspirations so it fell into place pretty well.” Yuri's eyebrows raised for a moment and he turned back to face the mirror, quietly wrapping his head around what Morooka had said. Victor smiled at Yuri's reaction, inwardly hoping it would give him some confidence.

“Anyway, I wanted to stop by to tell you both that the final vote total was insane,” Morooka said. “We had more than two billion votes last night, and yet the margin, in that respect, is relatively slim. The winner has a bit over 100 million votes more than the runner-up. We don't know which one of you the winner is, just the totals right now. I'll find out with the rest of the world when I open the envelope, which isn't even on the premises yet; they'll bring it for the red carpet.” Morooka then produced an official document from the accounting firm that tallied the votes, showing it to both Yuri and Victor in turn.

“I just wanted to show you this up front, to let you know that it's legitimate,” Morooka said. “And that no matter what happens, this shows that either one of you could have gotten the win. We couldn't have asked for a better Top Two quite honestly, and I think this total speaks of the fact that you're both equally talented and both deserve it.”

“Thank you for that,” Yuri said softly; Victor also thanked the host, who then took his leave.

“A hundred million? That's _it?”_ Yuri said. “Out of two billion votes?”

“I told you we were pretty evenly matched,” Victor said. “I'm honestly not surprised at all. And this lends a lot more legitimacy to the tie from last week.”

“Yeah, it does,” Yuri said.

Victor's makeup was finished first, and he was whisked off to get into his outfit for the red carpet that was set to take place an hour before the show. As Yuri sat waiting for Anya to finish, his thoughts turned inward.

_Close or not... there's no way I've won this. Everyone loves Victor, how can they not? He has fans from every age group, every type of music genre. I'll never measure up to that. He's got this, whether he wants to believe it or not._

“All right Yuri, all set,” Anya said. “Georgi's waiting for you.”

“Thanks,” he said, sliding down off the chair.

“I'll see you back here after the red carpet for touchups,” Anya smiled. “But we'll be so busy I might forget to say it later, so... good luck.”

Yuri smiled, dipping his head in a bow of gratitude. “Thank you,” he said. “I think I'll need it.”

  
  


If the very first red carpet the contestants had done 12 weeks prior had been insane before the live shows had begun, then the one for the finale had been absolute chaos. Not only were there two huge risers of fans, but the media coverage had quadrupled, the cacophony of paparazzi yells, shouted requests for interviews from the various entertainment shows and the cheers from those on the risers making it impossible for anyone to think. Each contestant walked the carpet in turn, smiling for the cameras but staying well back from the media lines.

Mercifully, Yuuto and Satoko had planned for Yuri and Victor to walk it first, followed by the rest of the contestants, giving them more time to prepare for the opening number of the show while the rest of the famous people, including those slated to perform duets with the Superstars, did their turn for the cameras. All of the Top Twelve had been told to politely decline any interviews to conserve their voices, which everyone was thrilled about; there would be more than enough of that at the afterparty which this time, all concerned had been made well aware of. Yuri and Victor were also made aware of the winner's press conference, which Yuri mused to himself that Victor would handle just fine on his own, while Victor had full intent to be present for Yuri.

The pair were now sitting in their dressing room chairs, with Anya finishing up Yuri's makeup as her head stylist topped off Victor's hair with a last mist of hair spray. They heard Seung Gil call the 15 minutes to live warning, causing them to draw in a breath at the same time and laugh as they both exhaled.

“Nervous?” Victor said to Yuri as the stylist stepped away, surveying her work once more before moving to the table to get everything ready for the first wardrobe change just as Anya did the same.

“Yeah... this first number is an accident waiting to happen,” Yuri laughed.

“Ah, don't worry, they're going to have the bodyguards for us. Did you see those guys? I was even scared of them,” Victor laughed.

“I know. But we've never done anything like this before so I'm hoping there's no insanity,” Yuri said.

“Yuuuuurrrrriiiii don't worry, everything will be fine. Just do it like we did in the rehearsals and that part will be over in no time. I think it will be a blast. Just smile and wave.”

“I know I know. I just wish we weren't separated right then,” Yuri said.

Victor felt his heart flip just a bit at that. “We won't be for long. Your big strong Russian will be right there before you can blink,” he grinned.

Yuri looked over at Victor as the call for 10 minutes to live went out, followed by Seung Gil poking his head in for Yuri and Victor to head to their places for the unusual beginning to the opening number.

“Good,” Yuri said with a soft smile. “I'd prefer it stay that way.”

  
  


  
  


**Superstar Grand Prix Grand Finale Results Show – Kodak Theater, Los Angeles**

_Spots 1 and 2, standing by... band standing by... going live in 30 seconds. Checks on Microphones 1 and 2... All right, they've both responded. Security in place._

The theater went dark, save for the tiered panels of screens, which began a countdown clock.

_Going live in 10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1!_

The strains of “You Only Live Once”, played live by the band for the first time ever, began to carry through the theater. As the autotuned “voices” began, two spotlights focused on the main entrances at the back of the theater, the view being shown on the screens as Yuri and Victor were illuminated, causing the front part of the audience to turn around and the entire audience to explode. Two burly security guards, one in front and one in back of each of them, began to escort them through the crowd down the two main aisles, batting at any hands that dared to even stick a finger outside of the edge of the rows of seats. As they'd done in rehearsal, when the main synth riff of the song kicked in both raised their hands over their heads, summoning the audience to clap along as they did. They'd been led down front at a fast pace, with both of them bounding up the stairs to the main stage a couple of bars before the verses began.

The original theme of the show had been in Japanese for the most part, but after several attempts Victor hadn't been able to master it well enough phonetically to match Yuri's obviously perfect delivery in his native language, even with Yuri's help. Instead, the song had been translated into English so the pair could sing it together, with Yuri taking the first verse and Victor the second as they paced in time from their opposite ends of the stage to meet in the middle as the first half of the lyrics finished. They then both made their way onto the rounded catwalk that circled the judges' table, the judges already present and turning in their seats to watch them as Victor started the second half of the song, with Yuri taking the final verse.

As the pair got back onto the stage with the song coming to an end, the crowd erupted again when the silhouettes of the rest of the Top Twelve were backlit as they began walking forward into the spotlights while the introduction to the group number, “Raise You Up/Just Be” from the musical _Kinky Boots_ began. Yuri and Victor remained at center stage as their ten fellow contestants stopped five steps behind them, with Yuri turning to Victor as he sang the first verse of the song with a minor lyrical change to fit its usage in the show, the first of several throughout it that the producers of the show had gotten approved previously.

**Yuri:**  
Once I was afraid, but then you came along  
Put your faith in me and I was challenged to be strong  
When I lost my way, you were there to see me through  
Now let [us] lend some love and do the same for you!

The rest of the Superstars, along with Victor, joined in for the change and chorus, the break into the harmonies causing another round of cheers from the crowd:

**All (with Yuri in lead):**  
Feed your fire, to take you higher  
We’ll light you up like a live wire  
Celebrate you, to elevate you,  
When you struggle to step, we’ll take a helping hand

If you hit the dust  
Let me raise you up  
When your bubble busts  
Let me raise you up  
If your glitter rusts  
Let me raise you up  
(And up)  
Raise you up

Victor then turned back to Yuri, the grin on his face as he sang causing Yuri to break into a grin in return:

**Victor:**  
Never put much heart in anything before  
You strut into my life and help me go for something more  
Now I stand up for myself  
Now I stand out from the crowd  
Now I’m standing on high heels, if dad could see me now!

As Victor sang the last line of his verse, he turned and found Taisia in the front row, winking at her as he sang the line and motioned to the chunky-heeled boots he was wearing; in turn she broke into a huge grin and whooped back at him, clapping joyously at the private meaning. Victor and Yuri then moved back to mesh into the line with the other ten contestants for the second chorus with Victor in the lead before Mila and Sara stepped forward to sing the next part:

**Mila:**  
I knew you had it in you  
I knew what you could tell

 **Sara:**  
You believed in me  
Let me be right for you

 **Mila:**  
Your stumbling days are done  
Now we’re walking on air

 **Sara:**  
I was a loose shoe but you need two to make a pair

The music then stopped, with the rest of the Superstars breaking into knowing grins as one of the reasons Takeshi had decided the song was perfect for their group number began because, as Chris had said upon their first sing-through, in this context the shade was real. As the pair recited dialogue from the show that was once again slightly modified, it took on a bit of a different meaning for the moment:

 **Mila:** Wait wait wait wait hold it right there [missy] are you saying you’d like to take me out?  
**Sara:** Yes  
**Mila:** Are you saying you and Nikola are through?  
**Sara:** Yes  
**Mila:** Are you saying you are actually available?  
**Sara:** Yes  
**Mila:** And you still like girls?  
**Sara:** Yes!  
**Mila:** Oh carry on!

The crowd erupted into even more screams, shouts and whoops of approval as the group began to fan out over the stage, singing a part of the chorus before a few more of the Superstars had short moments in the spotlight:

**All:**  
Feed your fire, to take you higher  
We’ll light you up like a live wire  
Celebrate you, to elevate you  
When you struggle to step, we’ll take a helping hand

 **JJ:**  
Look out below  
Here comes [Jean]  
And [Jean] has brought some friends along  
**Minami:** When you start things out of certainty  
**Guang Hong:** Then the ones you love  
**JJ, Minami & Guang Hong: **Are gonna set you free yeah!

The group then sang the first part of the chorus again, encouraging the audience to clap along before the chorus modulated upward, causing even more enthusiastic cheers and screams as some of them moved out onto the catwalk. The tempo of the music slowed a bit, the key changing again as the score moved into the second song with another “spotlight” moment before the next round of even more inspiring lyrics sung by all twelve Superstars:

**Yura & Leo:**  
We’re the same  
[everyone]  
You and me

Just be  
Who you wanna be  
Never let ‘em tell you who you ought to be  
Just be  
With dignity  
Celebrate yourself triumphantly  
You’ll see  
You’ll see  
Just be  
Just be

The final part of the song was what the group had had the most fun with during rehearsals, perfecting their enthusiastic deliveries of the motivational lyrics that all of them agreed with quite strongly. Yuri and Phichit in particular had been a great help in bringing out the theatricality of the moment, helping everyone with their lines during the runthroughs.

 **Otabek:** Ladies  
**Yura:** Gentlemen  
**Chris & Phichit: **And those who have yet to make up their minds  


**Yuri:**  
As people all over the world clamor for [the Grand Prix Superstar]  
It's time for us to get back to work, but before we go  
We would like to leave you with the [Superstars] secret to success  


**Victor:**  
Alright, now we’ve all heard of the twelve step program, have we not?  
Yes, but what you can do in twelve  
I want you to know that we all can do in six now  
And it goes like this

 **Yuri & Victor: **One, pursue the truth (come on, come on)  
**Phichit & Chris: **Two, learn something new  
**Mila & Sara: **Three, accept yourself and you’ll accept others too!  
**Minami & Guang Hong: **Four, let love shine  
**Yura & Otabek: **Five, let pride be your guide  
**JJ & Leo: **Six, you change the world when you change your mind!

By this point the audience was on their feet in its entirety, jumping up and down and singing along as the group sailed into the final chorus, arms around each other and all of them singing their hearts out as they took in their last performance together on the Superstar stage and ending the final note with a huge flourish:

**All:**  
Just be  
Who you wanna be  
Never let them tell you who you oughta be  
Just be  
With dignity  
Celebrate your life triumphantly

You’ll see (it’s beautiful)  
You’ll see (it’s beautiful)  
Just be (it’s beautiful)  
Just be  
You’ll see (it’s beautiful)  
You’ll see (it’s beautiful)  
Just be (it’s beautiful)  
Just be beautiful

There was an extended moment where the crowd went absolutely insane, the judges at their table standing and applauding; it was during those few moments as the twelve contestants took everything in that they noticed that Celestino and Yakov were wearing tuxedos, and Minako in a gown that was made in the image of a formal Japanese kimono, the pattern of pink and white cherry blossoms falling from her right shoulder across and down the front on a background of deep magenta, the entire garment in sequins and gemstones. The group, with Yuri and Victor at the center, moved to the left and right slightly as Morooka appeared for the first time on stage that night, coming to a stop between Yuri and Victor and causing another round of applause before the crowd finally settled down.

“Well, that was certainly a fantastic beginning to our show wasn't it?” Morooka said with a grin, another round of applause the result as the judges took their seats. “Well this is just the beginning. We have a phenomenal show for you tonight, with tons of surprises and some very special performances you won't want to miss. And, of course, we will reveal the winner of the coveted title of the very first Grand Prix Superstar!” Another enthusiastic round of cheers and screams.

“However, before we head to the break, I have a very special announcement to make,” he continued. “Now all of you know that the Top Ten Superstars will be going on a worldwide tour in just two months from now. But... due to extremely popular demand, I'm happy to announce that Minami and Guang Hong will also be going on tour, and new dates in Japan and China have been added! So you'll be seeing all of our Top Twelve!”

The contestants hadn't been told about the change before that moment, so all of them broke into grins as Minami and Guang Hong freaked out, hugging each other and grinning as the audience broke into another round of applause and cheers.

“All right, on that note, we'll take you to break with a bit of a look behind the scenes of the rehearsals for the numbers you just saw. Strap in everyone, we have one crazy ride coming up! THIS... is Superstar Grand Prix!”

As the lights dimmed and the Top Twelve hurried off the stage the screens came to life once more, the show's logos changing into footage from the rehearsals.

_Shot of Yuri trying to teach Victor the Japanese version of “You Only Live Once” as they sit at a table in the rehearsal room. He recites the Japanese words slowly, with Victor repeating them. They then sing it together very slowly, with Victor reading the phonetic pronunciations. When they attempt to do it with the music at full tempo, Victor gets about a line and a half in before he twists up his words, blows a raspberry, shouts “I can't do it!!” and flops forward dramatically on the table, face buried into folded arms as Yuri laughs so hard he has tears in his eyes. Takeshi and the other Japanese band members also lose it as Takeshi sticks his face in the camera and says “I... think we had better go with the English version, I don't think this is going to work” before cracking up again. Cut to Yuri, still laughing and wiping his eyes as he says into the camera, “We've been trying this for six hours, we're all slap happy and I'm about as done as I can be!” as Victor pouts his lower lip out and pretends to start sobbing hysterically before cracking up as well._

_Cut to the group learning the choreography for the Kinky Boots number, with everyone singing along. Then cut to a shot of Phichit and Yuri reading off the lines in the spoken part, doing it so over the top that everyone is laughing and whooping encouragingly. More shots of Yuri and Phichit helping everyone out, then a last shot of them singing through the final chorus in the rehearsal room as the show goes to break._

The shuffle backstage began then as well, with everyone heading back for their wardrobe changes save for Yuri, Victor and Chris, who now all had a decent amount of time to get warmed up for their dance numbers before getting changed. Those not performing yet would pair up with their celebrity duet partners, running through the vocals a bit more before their respective spots in the show. Mila, however, was the one hustling the most, as she flew through her wardrobe change and got ready to go back out with the band that she'd been matched up with for her duet performance. Otabek in turn had the length of her performance added to his prep time as he was set to go on right after her, the stage large enough to have the second set ready on a revolving platform that would turn around as strategically-placed short video clips of each Superstar meeting and performing with their duet partners served as introductions to each number.

“And we are back,” Morooka began as the show returned from break. “We begin tonight with the first of our Superstar duets. During the run of the show we've asked all of our Superstars who their favorite artists and dream collaborations were. Well, little did they know that we were planning some pretty big surprises for their final performances on the Superstar stage. Let's take a look at the first of them with Mila.” He turned toward the large screen at the back of the theater, which came to life along with several of the screens on the sides of the stage.

_Cut to Mila coming into the rehearsal room, where the members of her favorite band, Halestorm, are waiting. She covers her face and cries “oh my god” into her hands as Lzzy Hale, the lead singer, comes over and hugs her. Cut to shot of Mila and Lzzy sitting together_ **Mila:** I've been a huge fan of Halestorm since the very beginning when they first came out. That was why when I had the chance to use their Lady GaGa cover during Hollywood Week I jumped on it.  **Lzzy:** That was so badass, I really loved it! So when the show contacted us to see if we were free I was like “hell yes!!”  _ Mila grins, covering her face again. Cut to shot of Mila rehearsing with the band  _ **Mila (voiceover)** I thought I was just going to do the original Whitesnake song, but this was also another cover that Halestorm did on their covers EP, so then when I found out I would be performing with them I about lost my mind!  _ Cut back to Mila and Lzzy sitting together  _ **Lzzy:** I'm super excited to wail this out with Mila because she's just as badass as me.  _ She grins as Mila blushes again; they hug as the clip ends. Cut to Morooka center stage. _

“Performing 'Still of the Night' with special guests Halestorm, here is Mila Babicheva!” Morooka introduced.

Mila began the song with the a capella first verse, then the band came in and she belted out he second, cutting an imposing figure in skin tight leather and studs with sky high stiletto boots, headbanging as the band went into the musical interlude between the verses. At Mila's quote of the line from the original, “over here baby”, Lzzy made her entrance, sending the crowd into a frenzy as she took the second verse, singing right at Mila.

The pair then harmonized a bit for the few lines of the chorus, both collaborating on an insane glory note, then trading improvisations as they stalked around each other seductively. Lzzy stood back as Mila let out the highest scream she'd ever done as the band went into the instrumental and guitar solo section. The two women then went out onto the catwalk, meeting in the middle behind the judges as they traded off on the final verses of the song as well as harmonizing a bit before running back onto the main stage as the band powered through to the end of the song which saw Mila and Lzzy belting out the final hook line together, face to face as if they were about to rip each other to shreds. At the end of the song both broke into a huge grin and hugged, then they took their bows before the stage lights faded, prompting them to take leave of the stage.

Morooka continued on then as the stage went through its set change. “Our next duet had its roots in this Superstar's audition song. Let's take a look at who Otabek had the chance to collaborate with.”

_ Cut to shot of Otabek playing guitar and singing to “Wake Me Up” by Avicii featuring Aloe Blacc, his audition song  _ **Otabek (voiceover)** I was kind of bummed that I was eliminated before the week that the contestants got to redo one of their songs from the auditions or Hollywood Week. I would have redone “Wake Me Up” because I regretted not having my guitar for it. So when they asked what I wanted to do for the finale I told them that, but I didn't expect what else would happen.  _ Otabek coming into rehearsals and shaking hands with Aloe Blacc, then working on the song with him  _ **Aloe Blacc, voiceover** I was really flattered that Otabek chose my acoustic version of this song to perform, so when they asked me to come and sing it with him I was very happy to do it.  _ Final shot of the two of them finishing a runthrough of the song. Cut to Morooka center stage. _

“Performing 'Wake Me Up' with Aloe Blacc, here is Otabek Altin!” he said, turning toward the stage as the band began. Otabek and Aloe Blacc sat at center stage on wooden stools, with Otabek playing acoustic as he sang the first two verses and chorus, with Aloe clapping along to his acoustic arrangement of the song with the band backing them up. During the instrumental interlude between verses the pair rose from the stools and walked toward the front of the stage, with Otabek doing the vocalizations that led into the second part of the song, which Aloe took as Otabek played. After Aloe sang through the chorus once, the pair harmonized on a refrain of it, then traded off improvisations before the arrangement quieted down for one last reprise of the chorus, which they split in half. The performance was greeted with a hearty round of applause from the audience as the duo shook hands, taking their bows as the show went to commercial break.

In the backstage area, Victor and Yuri had been running through their dance choreography in a room that seemed to be designed for dance warmups as two of the walls were covered with floor to ceiling mirrors and lined with dance barres. They were also watching the show on a flatscreen television showing the broadcast feed. As Otabek's performance ended, Victor stood up from one last full-body stretch and looked over at Yuri.

“Time to get into costume, we've got two more performances before you go on,” Victor said.

Yuri nodded, taking in a deep breath. “And then you,” he added.

Victor nodded. “Yes.” He walked up to Yuri with a soft smile, opening his arms; Yuri returned the embrace with a smile of his own.

“Good luck,” Yuri said. “Not that you'll need it, I know you'll be amazing.”

“Well, good luck to you too,” Victor said, “But I know you won't need it either. You look amazing and this is going to be the sweetest revenge against the haters I've ever seen.”

Yuri couldn't help smile at that as Georgi peeked in the door of the warmup room to summon the pair to get suited up. “You know, I'm looking forward to it, just for that reason,” Yuri said as they walked out, arms around each other.

Out on the stage the show came back from break with Morooka at the judges' table, fitting right in with his own dapper tuxedo.

“Our next duet features an artist that has graced our stage as a guest performer during the season who was more than willing to return for tonight,” Morooka said. “Let's check in with Sara and see who she's teamed up with for her performance.”

_ Cut to Sara playing piano and singing  _ **Sara, voiceover:** I didn't play piano on the show at all, so I wanted to do it for my finale performance and picked one of my favorite songs to play. Then we got told we were doing duets and then I found out who mine was with.”  _ Shot of Sara walking into rehearsals and accepting a hug from Sara Bareilles.  _ **Sara B.:** I have loved Sara since her audition, and I got to meet her briefly when I performed on one of the results shows. I told them then that I'd love to have a chance to sing with her, so when I got the call I was all about it!  _ Cut to the two of them rehearsing on two pianos  _ **Sara:** I didn't expect this at all and when I first found out I thought I'd be really nervous. But Sara is so sweet and encouraging and it was like we knew each other forever. I can't wait for everyone to hear this!  _ Cut to Morooka at judges' table. _

“Performing 'Manhattan' with Sara Bareilles, here is Sara Crispino!” he introduced.

The stage became bathed in moody lighting with two spotlights coming up on the same two pianos that Yuri and Phichit had played “Let It Be” on for Hollywood Week, with both Saras playing the song together. Sara C. began with the first half of the song, her soft, melodic tone restored after her final performance several weeks back when she'd been ill. Sara B. took the second part of the song as Sara C. continued to play her piano part, unable to suppress the smile as she listened. The studio was completely silent as their voices wove together in harmony for the change; over at the judges' table Minako was blinking back a few tears. Sara C. finished off the remaining lyrics to the song, which had been at Sara B.'s insistence; she smiled over her piano as Sara C. finished it out, the pair meeting eyes as they let the last piano chord fade out. They rose and met in the middle, hugging tightly with Sara B. encouraging Sara C. to take her bows first before they bowed together, the lights fading out as the stage began to revolve to the setup for the next performance as the audience applauded and cheered.

The cameras then returned to Morooka, who this time was in the side of the first row that was reserved for family members. He was seated next to Minami's parents, who had flown in for the finale to see him perform. “Our next performer unfortunately left the show far too early. So when he told us who his dream duet partner would be, we felt we had a lot to do to make it up to him. Let's see who Minami got to collaborate with for his duet.”

_Cut to shot of Minami in rehearsal room, playing an acoustic and singing, then to Minami on interview set_ **Minami:** When I was in Hollywood Week I kept wanting to do a song by One Direction, but other people kept taking them and I didn't want to copy anyone. And then I didn't get a chance to do too much more once the show started, so I was pretty bummed because they were my favorites for a long time. I asked if I could do this song for the finale and they said yeah and well... (grins) _Shot of Harry Styles walking into the rehearsal room with Minami trying his best not to freak out. Cut to shot of the pair sitting with guitars, talking_ **Harry (to Minami):** So I was told that this was one of your favorite songs currently and that you wanted to sing it, so I thought I'd hop on in and help you out with that. (smiles) **Minami:** I don't even know if I can sing now! (laughs, Harry laughs too) _Cut to shot of the duo rehearsing the song, with Harry helping Minami with his falsetto_ **Minami:** I didn't stay on the show as long as I hoped I would, but I still had a great time and made a lot of great friends. And this will always be something that I would never have had a chance to do without being on it so I really can't complain. (grins) _Cut to Morooka sitting with Minami's parents._

“Performing 'Sign of the Times' with Harry Styles, here is Kenjirou Minami!” he said, rising and gesturing to the stage with Minami's parents also standing up and applauding.

The song began with Minami and Harry standing at two microphones at center stage in spotlights, the rest of the stage dimly lit. Minami sang the beginning, with Harry coming in for the first bridge, their falsettos mixing perfectly. They were both holding electric guitars that they began to play for the first chorus. For the second verse the pair flipped, with Harry singing the lead and Minami coming in to accompany him for the dual falsetto bridge before Harry took the second chorus. They combined voices again for the reprise of the falsetto bridge section, with Harry turning to look at Minami with an encouraging smile as Minami took the change, singing in a voice that seemed to have improved even since his time on the show. Harry stepped back for Minami to sing the remainder of the song before joining him in trading off improvisations as the performance came to a close. They shared a handshake, with Harry giving Minami an extra pat on the back and saying “great job!” before they took their bows and the show went to the commercial break.

Victor and Yuri had both been covered with robes so the makeup from their last minute touchups wouldn't get on their costumes as they sat in their dressing room chairs; as a result neither had seen the other's full dance costume before they both rose and headed over to Georgi for one last check on everything. They both removed the robes and Yuri looked over at Victor's jewel-encrusted black bodysuit, breaking into a grin and wolf-whistling at which Victor turned to him with a grin.

“Like what you see?” Victor asked, the grin softening as he looked over the other man's costume. Yuri was dressed in a bodysuit that had an ombre of blue that was dark midnight blue at his feet and a night-sky royal blue to pale blue from about his waist to the shoulders, where it was sprinkled with gemstones that made him look like a night sky. The sleeves flared out just a bit into a slight bell, with loops over Yuri's middle fingers to keep them from slipping up.

“I do,” Yuri said. “It suits you very well and works well with the music you're using.”

“Well... you look beautiful,” Victor said softly as Seung Gil came to get him, the show ready to return from break. Victor leaned in one last time to give Yuri a quick hug. “You can do this, Yuri. I believe in you.”

Yuri smiled, squeezing Victor back before he pulled away at Seung Gil's insistent call. “Thanks,” Yuri said. “You better kick ass too!” And with that, he hurried out the door. Victor went out a moment later, gathering with the other Superstars around the big screen TV in the green room that was showing the live broadcast from the television feed to see Yuri's performance.

“And we are back,” Morooka began from center stage. “Our next two performances are something very special. Over the course of the season we've learned that many of the Superstars have talents other than music. Our Top Two, Yuri and Victor, are no exception. We learned that they both are accomplished dancers, and so, since we all know what their voices sound like, we thought we'd give them a chance to show the world what else they can do. First up is Yuri, who has combined both music and dance for his performance with the help of one of his favorite artists.” He turned toward the screens as the stage dimmed and they switched from the show logo to the video segment.

 _Footage of Yuri rehearsing some of the dance steps with Yuko looking on_ **Yuri, voiceover:** For my first year in college, I was a dance major as I had been studying dance back home in Japan, with a minor in music. For my recital at the end of my first year, I composed a piano piece that I never really gave a proper name to. I ended up calling it “Yuri's Love” because I wrote it while thinking of the love and support of my family. _Cut to footage of Yuri playing the piece on the piano for Takeshi_ **Takeshi:** I've been playing piano for years, but I was really having a tough time replicating this piece. It's really complicated and it shows how talented Yuri is on the piano that I wasn't able to really capture it well. So we had to call in the big guns. **Yuri:** Takeshi really felt the song should be done live, so he asked me who my dream person to play it for me would be. I threw out a name, never thinking it would happen. _Footage of Yuri blushing furiously as Ben Folds comes into the practice room, saying hello and shaking his hand_ **Ben:** I've had my eye on Yuri pretty much since Hollywood Week, but R&B week is when I really saw him as a serious contender. I reached out to the show and asked if there would be an opportunity to work with him at all, and they said to hold that thought. Then eventually they got back to me with this. And let me tell you, this piece is _hard!_ It's a brilliant composition and I'm really excited about playing it for his performance. _Footage of Yuri rehearsing the dance to Ben playing; the clip ends with the end of the composition. Cut to Morooka at center stage._

“With a very special dance performance to his original composition “Yuri's Love”, performed by Ben Folds and the Superstar musicians, here is one half of our Top Two, Yuri Katsuki!” Morooka introduced.

Yuri began the performance in a balletic pose, on the toes of one foot with the other leg in an arabesque position, slowly revolving for a few moments before he began to step gracefully across the stage, his body making striking shapes against the dark background behind him. He sped up and did a small leap across the stage at the high note Ben hit on the piano, then with the following low note began to flow across the stage, his body falling into the familiar movements he'd choreographed all those years ago. The stage and audience began to fade away as he drew within as his mind always had when dancing, the music evoking the many memories of his family that it was written for. He gracefully leaped and twirled across the stage, his limbs extending more as the first swell of the 'chorus' of the song began, his face lighting up with a smile as more of the memories came to him, of being safe and loved and accepted for who he was.

At the quiet middle section, he went down on one knee, his arms moving in graceful circles as he seemed to reach for someone and hold them to him, his face lighting up even more as memories of meeting Victor and getting to know him more filled his mind. He rose, his movements getting more passionate as the music swelled, the band joining with Ben's playing. Yuri pirouetted across the stage, the movements sharp and joyous, then executed a huge stag leap that made the audience gasp as the 'chorus' swelled fully, the orchestra adding the violins to it and pulling every last ounce of emotion out of him. As he finished the final series of pirouettes, the piano notes slowly winding down in tempo he felt the emotion rushing up, swelling in his chest.

He hit the final pose – right hand tucked against his chest, left hand extended outward to take the hand of the one who'd lifted his heart and soul – and held it for a few moments before the audience erupted in wild cheers and screams. He buried his face in his hands, allowing himself to finally be proud.  _ I did it. It was exactly as I wanted it to be, and for who I wanted it to be, in front of the world.  _ Ben had risen from the piano, adding to the standing ovation as Yuri took his bows, his face streaked with tears; below in the first row Mari was bawling her eyes out, cheering and screaming as well. As the stage went dark Yuri went over to accept a congratulatory hug from Ben as they left the stage.

Yuri came offstage into the dogpile of Sara, Mila, Leo, Minami and Phichit, with Phichit bawling the most as he crushed Yuri in a hug. “Oh my god Yuri you did it!” Phichit sobbed. “It was so amazing!” Yuri took in everyone's hugs for a few moments more but was brought to attention by the beginning of Victor's video segment.

Victor hadn't been there to greet Yuri as he'd been getting ready for his own dance performance, but as he stood at side stage while his video segment played, he struggled to compose himself from his own rush of tears while watching Yuri dance. He used the background noise of the clip to refocus his mind for the most important dance piece he'd ever done, for an audience he'd never dared to dream of – literal millions, both in the studio and around the world.

 _Cut to Victor in the dance rehearsal room, practicing to a recorded track_ **Victor (voiceover)** When I was growing up, my mother listened to a lot of different music that she had collected during her travels and work as a model. She liked a lot of different genres, but she always preferred classic rock the best. This instrumental piece stuck with me from a very young age. I had always hoped to dance to it someday, and had worked it into a rock opera type show I was creating that never got off the ground. _Footage of Victor meeting with the writer of the piece, Jeff Lynne of the classic rock band Electric Light Orchestra_ **Jeff:** This piece has been used for a lot of stuff over the years, but I really love what Victor has done with it. When we were invited to perform it live I definitely was on board. _Footage of Victor rehearsing with the band performing live_ **Victor:** I was pretty shocked when I found out they would be here to perform this live. But after rehearsing with the live music I've found it gives such a different feel to it. I'm really excited to finally get to do this after so many years of working on it. _Cut to Morooka in the family row, sitting next to Taisia_.

“With a piece of original choreography to the song “Fire On High” performed by Jeff Lynne's ELO, here is the other half of our Top Two, Victor Nikiforov!” Morooka said, rising to applaud with Taisia as the cameras focused on center stage.

The first roughly minute and a half of the recorded track, which featured some spooky-sounding effects, had been edited with the piece beginning with a flourish of drums and orchestral music in an almost fast-march type rhythm. The band began the slowly building intro to the song and as the drums led in to the guitar riff Victor strode out on stage in the sleek, sparkly black costume, his moves balletic but powerful as he stopped at center stage. As the acoustic guitar came in he began to spin across the stage, and at the second, crashing lead in of the drums he executed a huge leap, landing with several pirouettes at the far end from where he'd began.

As the music reached the halfway point, with the violins quoting the original synth intro Victor continued his powerful dance, repeating the movements from earlier but with sharper poses, more focus and an even more ominous presence. His jumps across the stage were very similar to those of a figure skater, with spins midair and landings very similar to those of a figure skating jump. His performance even extended out onto the catwalk around the judges' table before he ended up back at center stage, doing a series of spins then ending with an authoritative pose, holding it for a moment before he punched the air and let out a yell as the adrenaline caught up with him. He soaked in the standing ovation, bowing elegantly before turning around and applauding and bowing to Jeff Lynne and the band, then walking forward to accept Jeff's handshake as the show went to the next break.

The first person Victor saw as he came down the stairs off the stage was Yuri, who ran into his arms and crushed him in a hug, which set Victor to laughter as he hugged him back.

“Oh my god that was amazing! You looked so good, so powerful!” Yuri said, grinning up at him.

“You were beautiful,” Victor replied. “I'm so proud of you Yuri. You did it.”

Yuri broke into a grin then. “I did,” he said. “I couldn't have without you pushing me.”

“I can say the same, you know,” Victor said. He then gently untangled from the embrace as the other members of the Top Twelve who were free offered their congratulations. He and Yuri were just about to to go back to wardrobe when they both heard Seung Gil calling their names.

“Hey guys, we need you back on stage for a minute once the commercial ends,” Seung Gil said. “This was planned, you just didn't know about it. Don't worry, you didn't have to. Come on, we're on in 30.”

Yuri and Victor climbed the stairs again, both still in their dance costumes as they were told to stand with Morooka at center stage. On the monitors in front of them that were tucked into the edge of the stage they could see what the viewers at home were seeing, and watched the goofy car commercial the pair had filmed during the hectic week leading up to the finale.

“Oh god, we're such dorks,” Yuri said as he watched. “I can't believe they didn't check to see if we both could drive! I'm glad you do at least.”

“They're lucky I had a valid license, I've let it lapse more than once!” Victor laughed as they were given the ten-second signal.

“All right, we are back,” Morooka began. “Now just before we returned you saw the commercial that Yuri and Victor did for Toyota. Well, we have a surprise for you both.” Morooka then reached into his pocket and pulled out two sets of keys. “On behalf of Toyota Motor Corporation, I present you both with keys to a brand new Toyota Corolla!” Both of their jaws dropped as they accepted the keys, with Yuri cracking up as he said something to Victor; Morooka leaned in with his microphone. “What's that Yuri?”

“I have to learn how to drive now!” Yuri laughed, causing the audience to laugh as well while Victor hugged him, a huge grin on his face as Morooka congratulated them before the lights dimming prompted them to leave the stage. They came down the stairs to be met by Mila, Sara, and Phichit who were squealing and laughing on their behalf as Victor and Yuri headed back to wardrobe to change.

“And now we continue on with our very special finale performances,” Morooka continued. “Our next performer showed a bit of a different side of his musical abilities when he chose songs with rap in them for some weeks. Let's see who Leo got the chance to work with for his duet.”

 _Cut to Leo singing in Spanish_ **Leo:** One thing I wanted to do when I was on the show was sing in Spanish. I never got a chance to unfortunately, so I wanted to do this song for my finale performance. _Cut to Luis Fonsi coming into the practice room, with Leo lowkey freaking out_ **Luis:** Obviously this has been a very big song for me, but I haven't gotten tired of it yet. When I was asked to perform it with Leo and I heard his voice I knew we would sound great together. _Cut to Leo doing a bit of the rap from the song in Spanish_ **Leo:** I am crazy excited about this because not only do I get to do a song with a rap in it, I get to do it in Spanish too and with Luis! So I'm getting a couple of dreams for this performance (grins) _Cut to Morooka at center stage._

“Performing the mega hit 'Despacito' with Luis Fonsi, here is Leo de la Iglesia!” Morooka introduced.

The pair began with a bit of improvising before Leo took the first verse of the song with Luis adding a bit of harmony. They then switched places, with Luis singing lead and Leo singing harmonies as they went into the chorus together, with Leo backing Luis up for that. Luis continued to sing the lead with Leo backing him up until the rap, where Leo began firing it off perfectly, causing the audience to erupt in screams and cheers with many jumping to their feet and those that spoke the language rapping along with him. They continued on through the song in harmony, trading off the leads and backing vocals. As the song got to the end Luis stepped back and Leo took the ending as he backed him up, with the duo finishing the final hook line together to wild applause. They exchanged a hug then bowed together before the stage dimmed.

“Our next performance is another that shows off the extra talents of one of our Top Twelve,” Morooka said. “We heard about this talent as far back as his audition, so we're really looking forward to this performance. Let's see who Chris got to collaborate with.”

 _Clip of Chris mentioning in his audition that he is a professional pole dancer_ **Chris:** I knew that my pole dancing career would get out one way or another, so I figured I'd be up front about it. I didn't expect the positive response I got, with the videos on my YouTube channel getting quite a lot of plays after I talked about it. _Footage of Chris rehearsing on the pole_ **Chris:** There's always been one song that I've dreamed about doing with the original artist for years. I actually never got around to using the song either on the show or for my pole dancing, so I decided to do it for the finale. _Cut to Kesha walking into the rehearsal room and greeting Chris with a hug_ **Kesha:** I saw Chris' performances in the crazy ass boots and was like 'I need to work with this guy!' I totally love that he's not afraid to be himself, because that's what I'm about too. And I love the song he's chosen to do because it's so timely right now and it fits with his personality so much. _Footage of Kesha singing in rehearsals as Chris does his pole work_ **Chris:** I think just about everyone is jealous of my duet partner. I couldn't be more ecstatic right now! (grins) _Cut to Morooka in the family row with Matheu._

“Showing us his impressive vocal _and_ dancing abilities by way of performing 'We R Who We R' with Kesha, here is Christophe Giacometti!” Morooka said, with Matheu standing up to whoop and applaud.

The stage was lit up with club-like lighting that revealed scaffolding featuring two poles. As the song began Chris and Kesha began a catwalk-like strut in tandem as Chris rapped the intro to the song, both of them wearing sky-high heeled boots with torn stockings and glittery hot pants in a nod to a lyric in the song; Chris wore a see-through mesh top and Kesha wore a matching glittery top with the same mesh underneath. Kesha grabbed onto one pole, swinging around it as Chris did the same on the other, singing the bridge of the song as he leaned in to straddle the pole. At the “let's go” in the lyrics Kesha took over singing as Chris jumped up onto the pole, launching into an intricate routine of spins and upside down moves. Kesha continued to rap through the second verse, and as she got to the line “Hittin' on dudes... hard” Chris was straddling the pole, letting go of it and holding on with just his legs as he bent back to look Kesha in the eyes upside down and growl the word “hard” into her microphone, which set off a huge grin on her part as he returned to his maneuvers. He sang with her into his headset microphone as he did some of the easier moves, taking the second bridge and chorus.

As he was high up on one pole, she was holding onto the other on the floor, swinging around it and strutting as she sang before she stepped out of the way for the breakdown. Chris did a few very impressive moves that involved leaping from one pole to the other and spinning by one hand and leg almost wildly as he connected with the second pole, setting the audience to screaming and cheering. He dropped down off the poles to strut out some choreography with Kesha for the final chorus, and they ended with their backs pressed together, making the “Charlie's Angels” gun hands before both burst into laughter and hugged, then took their bows as the show went to break.

Victor and Yuri had been watching Chris' performance on the monitors along with Mila and Sara after their wardrobe change. As Chris came into the room Mila let out a squeal.

“Oh my _god_ Chris that was _insane!”_ Mila cried. “When you jumped from one pole to the other I got scared!”

“Ah, it was tricky I'll admit,” Chris said. “I haven't done double poles a lot, but that particular move I did practice quite a bit. Kesha wants me to tour with her as a dancer!! She asked me as we were coming off stage! We're going to discuss it more once I'm done with the Superstar Tour.”

Victor gasped, eyes going wide. “Okay, now I just hate you, get out of my fucking face asshole!” he fake-shouted, flipping Chris off before the pair dissolved into laughter.

“Yuri!!” Minami called from the door of the wardrobe room, “Hurry, Guang Hong's on right after JJ!!”

“Oh shit!” Yuri said, “I gotta make sure I see this!” He hurried out the door to wish Guang Hong good luck (and get a glimpse of his collaborators) as the show came back from break.

“And we are back, and finally cooled off after that last performance,” Morooka said with a laugh. “We're going to slow it down a bit now and see who Jean-Jacques had the chance to work with.”

 _Cut to JJ playing an acoustic guitar and singing_ **JJ:** I'm a bit too young to remember the boy bands from the late 90s, but my mom grew up listening to them so their music was always around the house. But I was more familiar with one former member's work in particular. I wanted to do something of his on the show, but it never really seemed to fit the theme. _Cut to JJ walking into the rehearsal room to be greeted by Justin Timberlake_ **Justin:** I really like JJ's style, no pun intended. I think he has a great voice and we sounded good together on this song. _JJ and Justin rehearsing their song on acoustic guitars_ **JJ:** Justin was my mom's favorite member of N'Sync and my girlfriend Isabella's favorite artist. So they're both going to be pretty jealous of me. (grins) _Cut to Morooka at center stage._

“Performing 'Say Something' with Justin Timberlake, here is Jean-Jacques Leroy,” Morooka said.

The stage was bathed in moody lighting, silhouetting both JJ and Justin as they played acoustic guitars. They began with Justin in the lead and JJ harmonizing with him as they slowly walked to center stage. They went through the first verse, bridge and chorus before the lead switched to JJ for the second part of the song, where he continued through the same sequence as Justin did, keeping up with the soulful tone of the song quite well. They continued to canvas the stage, splitting up to go around the catwalk and meet in the middle behind the judges, bringing the crowd to their feet with applause and cheers. As the backing singers joined in they turned and headed back to center stage, trading off improvisations until the song came to the cold ending with the last line a capella. The pair shared a handshake, then JJ stepped forward a pace as they took their bows, the stage dimming to prompt their departure.

“Our next Superstar also left the show very early on, so we wanted to make this performance special as well,” Morooka continued. “I really don't think he was expecting this one at all. Let's see who we surprised Guang Hong with for his duet.”

_ Cut to footage of Guang Hong doing some very precision boy-band style dancing in the rehearsal room  _ **Guang Hong, voiceover:** I'm into music from all different places. Because I know some Korean, I listen to a lot of K-Pop. I never had any formal dance training, but I taught myself a lot of their artists' dance moves. My dream was always to perform with one of the groups I like.  _ Footage of Guang Hong pretty much freaking out when he walks into the rehearsal room and finds the Korean boy band BTS there. _ **RM, leader of BTS:** We have been watching the performances from the show on YouTube, and were sad when Guang Hong was voted off because we thought he was very talented. We were lucky enough to be in the US during this time so we could perform with him. He picked up our moves right away and can sing the song with us in Korean. I think we'll hire him to fill in when one of us needs a vacation (laughs)  **Guang Hong:** I was really nervous at first because they're all so great at what they do, but we got along really well and because I knew so much of the choreography from the video of the song, it didn't take long to learn what I didn't know. I still don't feel like I'm as good as they are, so I just hope I don't mess up because I'm so excited!!  _ Cut to Morooka at stage left; a decent amount of the crowd is already screaming and cheering. _

“Performing 'DNA' with BTS, here is Guang Hong Ji!” Morooka said, having to raise his voice over the excited screams of many of the teens in the audience.

The song began with the group doing their usual choreography, but modified for eight members rather than seven. Guang Hong began with the first verse and chorus, keeping up with the intricate choreography and surprising everyone with how agile he actually was, something he hadn't gotten to utilize during his short time on the show. The second verse was primarily rap and RM and the members of the group took it over, with Guang Hong dancing with the rest of the group then coming in to sing the second chorus. For the balance of the performance the rest of the group backed up Guang Hong as he got to live his dream, keeping up with the other members amiably. As he finished the song front and center with RM the crowd erupted into screams and wild cheers, with all the members of the group crowding around into a group hug to congratulate Guang Hong, then lining up with him to take their bows as the show went to break.

Backstage the rest of the Top Twelve had been watching on the monitors in awe, completely taken aback at what Guang Hong could actually do save for Minami, who'd had some idea of it.

“Where were these dancing skills during Group Week?” JJ said as he watched with arms crossed. “We could have used them.”

“You wouldn't let him choreograph for us,” Minami said, a slight edge to his voice. “Because you wouldn't listen.” JJ remained silent then as Phichit and Yuri cheered for Guang Hong, bouncing along to the beat and the infectious, high-spirited performance of the group's members. As the show went to break Yura and Phichit made their way over to the prep area for their numbers, the final two of the night before the results were announced.

Victor and Yuri were sitting in an area that had been set up as a lounge in an open part of backstage, dressed for their final duet in matching suits with Yuri's in a royal blue and Victor's in a royal purple, which would come after Yura and Phichit's performances. Victor noticed Yuri getting more quiet now that he was done watching Guang Hong's performance and reached over to take Yuri's hand, squeezing it gently.

“Are you all right?” Victor asked softly, at which Yuri turned his face to him.

“I'm okay,” he replied. “But I think if we'd known about how everything would go down this week, especially last night, I don't think we'd have agreed to this duet song,” he laughed.

“Yeahhhh,” Victor said. “This song is a tearjerker no matter what, but it's going to be especially tough now... no matter what happens.”

Yuri smiled softly at Victor then. “Well, it's not like you won't be stuck with me for months, especially since they added dates to the tour,” he said. “So it won't be too sad.”

“I hope not,” Victor said. “I don't know... this song has always had a lot of emotions attached to it for me. I hope I don't turn into a blubbering idiot.”

Yuri had to laugh softly at that. “Oh come on. I really can't see that happening,” he replied. “We'll be fine.”

Victor smiled softly then, his attention drawn back to the screens as the show came back from break.

_I really hope so, Yuri. But I'll still have complete faith in whatever you decide._

  
  


“And we are back with our final two solo performances before the big finish,” Morooka said as the show went live. “Our next performer was the youngest member of the Top Twelve, but was pretty formidable competition as one of the three rockers in our talented group of contestants. Let's see who Yura got the chance to duet with.”

_ Cut to Yura practicing his song with the house band, electric guitar in hand  _ **Yura:** My mom listened to a lot of 80s rock, but I also like a lot of new groups that play music that's similar to all of those old bands. This song I picked for my duet is by one of my current favorites.  _ Cut to Yura trying to remain cool but somewhat failing as Nikki Sixx, former bassist of Motley Crue, walks into rehearsals with the other members of his band Sixx:AM  _ **Nikki:** I saw Yura performing on the show on YouTube after a lot of my fans tweeted at me to check him out. The kid is  _ crazy _ talented. He's going to have a really great future and I think any band that gets him as a singer is going to be very lucky.  _ Cut to Yura singing with the band in rehearsals  _ **Yura:** Nikki Sixx is pretty much a legend. He's been through so much in his life and he's still here and making really great music. I look up to him because he's very positive about life and talks a lot about his own mistakes openly so you don't go down the wrong path like he did. He doesn't bullshit and gave me some really great advice I'm going to definitely remember.  _ Cut to Morooka in the family row with Nikolai. _

“Performing 'Stars' with Sixx:AM, here is Yura Plisetsky!” Morooka announced as the cameras went to the stage.

Yura began playing his guitar along with the band's guitarist DJ Ashba as their singer James Michael took the first verse and chorus of the song. He then stepped back to let Yura take over the vocals as he sang backup harmonies, with Nikki Sixx on Yura's left and DJ on the right of him. As Yura got immersed in the song his voice got more powerful, trading off lines with James for the change, then playing rhythm guitar to back up DJ's guitar solo. James then stepped back and harmonized with Yura as he sang the rest of the song, sounding just as strong as James himself, his voice carrying the song perfectly. He traded off improvisations with the lead singer for the ending coda, then sang the final line and finished the guitar outro with the band. Yura broke into the biggest smile anyone had ever seen on his face as Nikki walked up to him and shook his hand, the other band members also offering congratulations before they took their bows together.

“And now we have reached the final solo performance of the evening,” Morooka said as the stage dimmed for the set change. “This performer has been compared favorably to this artist in the past and even did one of his songs on the show. Let's see who Phichit's dream collaboration is with.”

_ Cut to Phichit singing in the rehearsal room working on his song with Takeshi  _ **Phichit:** I almost did this song for Movie Week, but then changed my mind at the last minute. So I figured since we got our choice for the finale, I'd do it then. I love challenging myself with it.  _ Cut to Phichit singing at the piano, his back to the rehearsal room door as Adam Lambert walks in, beginning to sing with him; Phichit spins around and squeaks, cracking up everyone in the room  _ **Adam:** I saw Phichit do “Aftermath” on the show and was blown away by his voice. His range is  _ ridiculous! _ And we both have a background in theater, so we have a lot in common and a similar roots to our singing styles.  _ Cut to footage of the duo rehearsing their song  _ **Phichit:** I don't know if I'll be able to keep up with him, but I'm sure going to try! I just hope I don't space and forget the words because oh my god! (grins and bounces)  _ Cut to Morooka in the family row with Phichit's parents. _

“Performing 'Time For Miracles' with Adam Lambert, here is Phichit Chulanont!” Morooka introduced with a flourish.

The stage was dappled in moody lighting as Adam began the song with Phichit standing next to him and joining in to harmonize on the first chorus. They then switched, with Phichit singing lead on the second verse and chorus and Adam singing harmonies where they were present in the original recording. They walked forward out onto the catwalk, splitting up to go around either side and meeting in the middle behind the judges for the bridge of the song. They traded off lines as the music reached the dramatic buildup, each going up higher and higher until Phichit hit the massive glory note just before the final chorus, then doing the high improvisations as Adam backed him up singing the main melody line before they once again traded off on improvised runs. Adam then stepped back for Phichit to finish the final two lines, then gave him a hearty hug and handshake before they took their bows on the catwalk and sent the show to the final commercial break.

Yuri finished watching Phichit's performance, extremely happy for his friend but also trying to focus on the performance that he and Victor were about to do. As Phichit came into the backstage area Yuri stopped to hug him, but Phichit noticed the focused look in Yuri's eyes, mixed with what he knew enough about Yuri to know was some worry.

“You're going to do great, Yuri,” Phichit smiled. “And no matter what happens, you'll still have a great career. You're too amazing not to. I'm just glad I got to be here for you for it.”

Yuri smiled then, already beginning to feel a lump forming in his throat. “I'm happy too,” he smiled as Seung Gil called 60 seconds to live. “I have to go... see you in a few.” Phichit grinned and winked, giving Yuri one last hug before he headed off to join Victor to take to the stage. Victor held Yuri's hand until they took their places, then looked over at him, giving Yuri a smile and that playful wink that had gotten him through so many tough moments over the last months.  _ He's everything. My dream... and soon he'll belong to the whole world. _ Yuri swallowed hard, smiling softly in return as the show went live and the beginning notes of their final duet began to play.

The song was one they'd both known well, and related to for different reasons: “For Good” from the musical  _ Wicked.  _ Their vocal arrangement was based on [a version Takeshi had found on YouTube](https://youtu.be/IX1LdLv00aA) for two male voices with similar ranges to Yuri and Victor, with the orchestration of the original. Yuri began the song, taking a deep breath as he began the very timely and poignant lyrics:

**Yuri:**  
I've heard it said,  
That people come into our lives  
For a reason  
Bringing something we must learn.  
And we are led to those  
Who help us most to grow if we let them  
And we help them in return  


**Victor:**  
Well, I don't know if I believe that's true  
But I know I'm who I am today  
Because I knew you  


**Yuri:**  
Like a comet pulled from orbit  
As it passes the sun  
Like a stream that meets a boulder  
Halfway through the wood  


**Victor:**  
Who can say if I've been changed for the better  
But because I knew you  
I have been changed for good  


Both of them took a deep breath then, with Yuri clenching his teeth against the rush of tears already threatening to form and Victor swallowing hard against his own emotions as he began his part of the song:

 **Victor:**  
It well may be  
That we will never meet again  
In this lifetime  
So, let me say before we part:  
So much of me  
Is made of what I learned from you  
You'll be with me  
Like a handprint on my heart  


It was all Yuri could do to hold it together as he sang his next lines, the meaning having that much more significance now:

 **Yuri:**  
And now whatever way our stories end  
I know you have rewritten mine  
By being my friend  


**Victor:**  
Like a ship blown from its mooring  
By a wind off the sea.  
Like a seed dropped by a sky bird  
In a distant wood  


**Yuri:**  
Who can say if I've been changed for the better  
But because I knew you...  


**Victor:**  
Because I knew you...  


**Yuri:**  
I have been changed for good. 

They turned to each other then and Victor nearly lost composure as he looked into Yuri's eyes, the sadness and regret in them as the lyrics once again seemed to speak of the night before, even metaphorically, nearly breaking his heart:

 **Victor:**  
And just to clear the air  
I ask forgiveness  
For the things I've done  
You blame me for  


**Yuri:**  
But then I guess  
We know there's blame to share  


**Both**  
And none of it seems to matter anymore 

They both belted out the next shared lines with so much emotion, it brought many in the audience to tears as their voices continued to wind around each other for the final verse, the lyrics almost sung in a round with each other:

 **Yuri:** Like a comet pulled from orbit  
**Victor:** Like a ship blown from its mooring  
**Yuri:** As it passes the sun.  
**Victor:** by a wind off the sea  
**Yuri:** Like a stream that meets a boulder  
**Victor:** Like a seed dropped by a bird  
**Yuri:** Halfway through the wood  
**Victor:** In the wood  


**Both:**  
Who can say if I've been changed for the better  
I do believe I have been changed for the better  


They met eyes then, neither bothering to hold back the tears anymore as they sang the final lines, slowly stepping closer to each other. 

**Yuri:**  
And because I knew you...  


**Victor:**  
Because I knew you...  


**Both:**  
Because I knew you  
I have been changed...  
For good.  


Yuri fell apart as Victor barely made it through the final two words, both of them breaking down into tears. They stepped into each other's arms as the crowd exploded, sobbing into each other's shoulders as the release of emotions over their final performance together hit fully. Backstage, nearly all of the remaining ten Superstars were in tears, with Phichit and Leo sobbing the most, and Mila and Sara clinging to each other, desperately trying not to mess up their makeup as they would all be heading onstage once the winner was announced. Over at the judges' table Minako was having the same difficulty as the unexpectedly emotional performance had caught her just as much by surprise as the rest of the audience, many of whom were also in tears. The director made an executive decision to cut to a very brief commercial break so everyone could collect themselves, which Yuri and Victor were grateful for as the rest of the Top Twelve gathered onstage, with Phichit running over to give the pair tissues. 

“Holy shit,” Victor murmured. “I'm gutted.”

“I know,” Yuri said softly. “Me too.” He stepped over to wrap his arm around Victor's waist as 15 seconds to live was called; Victor responded by draping his arm around Yuri's shoulders, squeezing them tightly as the show came back from the break.

“All right, I hope everyone has recovered from that fantastic and emotional performance,” Morooka said, taken aback at how hard the performance had hit everyone in the room, including himself. “And now, we have reached the moment everyone has been waiting for. But before we give you the results, let's recap what our Top Two will receive. The winner will receive a $5 million dollar recording contract with Agape Records to record their debut album. The runner-up will receive a $1 million dollar contract to record a six-song EP, also on Agape. The winner will receive a check for $2 million, the runner-up for $1 million. And earlier, they also each received the keys to a brand new Toyota Corolla.” The crowd applauded and cheered at that as Morooka turned toward a man coming out on stage with a briefcase handcuffed to one of his wrists as he carried it.

“We have here the sealed envelope with the winner's name,” Morooka said, introducing him and identifying him as an accountant with the firm that tallied the results each week. They made a show of the man unlocking the handcuff, then unlocking the briefcase and handing the envelope to Morooka, who unsealed it as the man left the stage.

“Now that we've covered all of that... Kieran, dim the lights... and here we go.”

The same low-key, pulsing music began to play as the studio dropped to complete silence. Yuri and Victor pressed to each other, both closing their eyes as their arms tightened around each other's bodies.

“After two _billion_ votes...

  
  


The winner... by the very slim margin of 100 million votes....

  
  


...of Superstar Grand Prix...

  
  


IS.......................................................”

  
  


The dramatic pause was probably only a matter of about 10 seconds, but to Yuri and Victor, it felt like ten hours.

  
  


  
  


  
  


“ ** _YURI KATSUKI!!!!”_**

  
  


  
  


  
  


“Yuri!!! You did it!!!! You won!!!!”

Yuri realized that he'd lost an indeterminate amount of time; he wasn't sure if it was a few seconds or a few minutes. He was snapped back to consciousness by Victor crushing him in a hug, bawling his eyes out and yelling ecstatically.

“Wait... what? I won??” Yuri's eyes went wide as the other members of the Top Twelve crowded around him, with Phichit screaming hysterically, Mila and Sara sobbing, Leo yelling happily, Yura thumping him on the back... he wasn't sure what the others were doing, but he knew Victor was pretty holding him up right now, as his limbs felt like jelly.

“If I won, why are you so happy?” Yuri asked, still bewildered.

“Because _you_ won, like I knew you would!!” Victor cried happily, picking him up and spinning him around, only adding to his confusion for a few more moments before he set him down. Yuri turned to look out over the crowd, which was absolute bedlam; a look over to the judges found Minako ecstatic, Celestino looking a bit perplexed (or surprised, he wasn't sure which) and Yakov applauding with a smile on his face.

Morooka walked over to him then, handing him the card with his name on it; only then did it hit Yuri and he burst into tears, letting out a triumphant yell and raising both fists above his head. He walked forward, looking down to find Mari in the audience, who was sobbing; Seung Gil ran down to the front row and led her up onstage and she nearly knocked Yuri over, crushing him into a hug as he sobbed into her shoulder. She then held up her phone to show him that she was actually FaceTiming with their parents, which made Yuri sob that much more as they shouted their congratulations, which he could barely hear over the chaos. As Seung Gil directed her to move back a bit she told them she'd call again later and put the phone away.

“Do you have anything you'd like to say to the world?” Morooka asked Yuri as he took a few deep breaths to regain some kind of composure, then took the microphone Seung Gil handed to him.

“I... gosh I don't even know where to start,” Yuri said. “Thank you to everyone who voted... I can't believe I won this but I did and I don't even know what planet I'm on right now,” he said, causing the assembled contestants to laugh as well as Seung Gil as he led Mari back to her seat for the time being. “To everyone here that I shared this with...” He turned to the rest of the Top Twelve then. “Phichit for agreeing to go with me to the auditions and for being the best friend anyone could ever ask for. Leo and Sara for getting us all through Hollywood Week. Everyone in the Top Twelve, for their friendship and support. And...”

Yuri made eye contact with Victor then and felt the tears fighting to come out once more as he reached for Victor's hand, at which he stepped forward and took it.

“To Victor, for helping me get through some tough stuff. For being my friend from the very beginning. For helping me to believe in myself and to grow and get better at this than I ever even thought I could be. For becoming the most important person I've met on this journey. He's the first person I've ever wanted to hold onto as more than a friend... I... don't know if there's really a name for that emotion, but I've decided... to call it love.”

Victor blinked then, at first not certain he'd heard correctly until Yuri pulled him close by the hand, then leaned in to kiss him deeply. The audience and everyone onstage all erupted in to cheers, screams and laughter as the pair wrapped their arms around each other to continue the kiss a bit longer before Yuri pulled back, grinning at Victor's tearstained face.

“We're a mess,” Victor grinned in reply, out of range of the microphone in Yuri's hand.

“Yes... but we can clean it up together,” Yuri smiled as he stepped back, remembering then from dress rehearsal that there was one thing left for the winner – for him – to do.

“And now may I introduce, for the first time as the very first Grand Prix Superstar, Yuri Katsuki!” Morooka cried, nearly yelling over the continued extended screams from the crowd. The noise level calmed down as the band began to play Yuri's version of the Coronation Song, “History Makers” and he stepped forward, singing it as best he could through his swirling emotions. He walked out onto the catwalk, slapping and touching hands as he went, pausing along the way to shake Celestino and Yakov's hands and accept a hug from Minako during the musical interlude between the first and second half lyrics. As the song went on metallic rainbow confetti began to fall from the ceiling as heavy as a snowstorm, showering down over the contestants and the crowd as Yuri made his way back to the main stage. He became more and more animated as he got to the end of the song, the Top Twelve gathering around him as he finished then burst into tears again, finding himself swallowed up into a group hug with Victor at the center holding him tightly.

The cameras panned back out over the stage and crowd and then finally to Morooka, who had taken his place on the far right corner of the stage as the cheers and chaos continued.

“And with the crowning of the inaugural Grand Prix Superstar, this incredible journey has come to a close. On behalf of our contestants, judges, and all of the staff here at Eros Entertainment, thank you for making this the Number One show in the world, and for bringing us into your homes each week. We hope to see you again soon. But for now, take care everyone. Morooka – out!”

  
  


  
  


**Post-Finale Twitter Chatter**

**@supervicturi** AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS YURRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIII I'M SO HAPPY OMGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG CONGRATULATIONS @KatsukiYuriSGP I LOVE YOU AND CONGRATULATIONS @V_NikiforovSGP YOU'RE AMAZING AND IT DOESN'T MATTER YOU STILL WON THE LOVE OF YOUR LIFE

**@MrsNikiforov** HOW THE FUCK DID VICTOR NOT WIN I DON'T EVEN GET THIS SHIT HE IS SO MUCH BETTER IN EVERY WAY YURI IS BORING AS FUCK WHAT THE FUCK DID ALL THE HOUSEWIVES VOTE FOR HIS BORING ASS I'M SO PISSED OFF RIGHT NOW I'M GONNA BUY 100 COPIES OF VICTOR'S EP AND EVERYBODY ELSE BETTER TOO

**@VictorsPet** I simply do not understand what happened here. Victor is a PHENOMENAL presence on that stage. He is absolutely STUNNING. No one can melt hearts with his voice like Victor Nikiforov. I am crying foul over this, there has to be cheating involved. Or, I'm sure the judges rigged it.

**@ViktuuriBitch** at least they kissed onstage but I really wanted them to fuck oh well the censors probably wouldn't have liked that anyway maybe there will be a sex tape

**@Yuraholic4Lyfe** How cool was that that Yura got to sing with Sixx:AM? At least they did right by him and gave him a good duet partner because they did a couple contestants dirty af. Beka deserved better tbh but he seemed to have fun with his song. Congrats to Yuri tho Victor should have won.

**@BekasNo1Bitch** @Yuraholic4Lyfe yeah I guess Otabek picked that song and it was technically what he did for his audition so I guess he's fine with it? I'm sure we'll never know because he never talks about anything like that on Twitter. But yeah wtf how did Yuri win?

**@GiaCUMetti** OMG CHRIS GOT TO PERFORM WITH KESHA THAT WAS SO HOT OMG AND THEY WERE SO CUTE TOGETHER HE NEEDS TO DUMP HIS BOYFRIEND AND GET WITH HER OMG OMG OMG

**@PhichitFacts4U** EW EW EW VICTOR AND YURI ARE A COUPLE WHY BUT I'M SO HAPPY YURI WON BC VICTOR JUST SCREAMS AND HE DIDN'T DESERVE IT YASSSS AT LEAST THEY GOT THAT RIGHT I VOTED FOR YURI

**@No1KatsukiFan** YAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSS GET IT YURI I'M SO HAPPY FOR YOU GP SUPERSTAR AND HOT AS FUCK BOYFRIEND HELL YES LIVIN THE DREAM

 

 

 

“Well... I certainly didn't see that coming.”

Celestino, Minako, Yakov, Morooka and Seung Gil were gathered in a conference room in the backstage area of the Kodak Theater for their usual post-show meeting, prepping for the press conference that would involve the judges and Top Two. Celestino was the most perplexed of the five of them, still shaking his head at what the media was calling a “massive upset”.

“I'm honestly not surprised,” Minako said. “Do you remember Yuri when he auditioned? He was this little secret. He didn't have a lot of confidence even though he was actually insanely talented. And this entire journey, this whole experience, brought it out of him and he thrived on it.”

“Victor was consistently good,” Yakov said. “Everyone expected it from him, in the end. Even though his Contestant's Choice song was different for him, it was still very well done. But by the time he got to the finale, everyone expected him to win. My feeling is there was just enough complacency in that to cause the votes to tip. But Minako is right, Yuri worked hard, and grew from this experience. And in the end, he deserves it just as much, if not more.”

“I guess you're right,” Celestino said. “When you look back at their trajectory, you kind of see it. But on the surface, damn... Victor just seemed like such a shoe-in. That voice? That stage presence? That talent? Maybe I'm just old school but back in my day, he'd have been a frontman on the level of Plant, Daltrey, even Mercury. Labels would have been falling all over themselves to sign him.”

“It's not always about showmanship. If that was the case, we'd have had either Chris or Phichit against Victor in the finale,” Morooka said. “Am I surprised? On one hand I am, because in this Internet world of instant gratification, Victor seemed like the obvious winner. He was a superstar from the beginning. But like Yakov said... he was almost _too_ obvious. If you were following Yuri closely, you saw his evolution and at the end, he completely threw down the gauntlet with the Evanescence song. He proved that he could do not only himself, but anything Victor could pull off too.”

“Exactly,” Seung Gil said. “He pulled out all the stops, and it paid off. As soon as he did that performance, I knew he had it to be honest.”

“Speaking of, it's certainly been a hell of a journey, hasn't it?” Minako said. “I can't believe it's been nearly a year since all of this started. I feel like we just did the first auditions last summer and here we are with our winner. But I had a blast.”

“Same,” Celestino said. “What's the buzz on another season?”

“We'll find out in the next month or so, once the final ratings trajectory is in,” Morooka said. “I think if we do a second season they'll want to close that gap between Hollywood Week and the live shows though. That was a great help to the contestants, but they're looking at ways to trim the budget and cutting a couple of months' rent off the mansion and other production costs will probably be the way to go. They're working it all out now to see if it's feasible. But if so, everyone will be offered the chance to get back on board.”

“Well... I'm head stage manager on the tour, and I'm not sure where I'm going after that,” Seung Gil said, prompting Morooka to turn to him with a frown.

“What? I thought for sure you'd come back,” Celestino said.

“I have to really think about it,” Seung Gil said. “There were some things that made it a bit... questionable for me. I didn't agree with some of the behind the scenes stuff. At the end of the day there was a bit less “reality” than there should have been at times, and I'm not sure how I feel about that yet. I'll make my decision after the tour.”

Morooka smirked then. “This isn't just about the tour, is it,” he confirmed.

“Well... in a way, yes,” Seung Gil said, deflecting Morooka's attempt to throw him under the bus with ease. “There's some things I need to figure out on my end that aren't resolved right now. So we'll see. Just keep me posted.” _And you may have just made my decision that much more easy._

“Fair enough,” Morooka said. Just then there was a knock on the door and Yuuto stuck his head in, alerting the group that the press room was filled and ready to go.

“Ultimately, we are on the same page,” Yakov said as they all rose. “I think we can all call this venture a resounding success. Agape will have two huge musical talents added to its roster with Yuri and Victor, and potential contracts are being drafted for Chris, Yura and Phichit to consider as well. And two of our smaller sister labels are interested in Mila and Sara. If nothing else, we have shown that we have a good sense of talent. I have no doubt that if the network green lights a second season, the world will be knocking down our doors.”

  
  


  
  


  
  


**Press Room After Finale – Backstage at Kodak Theater**

“I am so not good at this... oh god why do I have to talk to people?” Yuri laughed as he and Victor stood just outside the door to the press room getting last minute makeup retouches from Anya and a quick straightening out of their suits from Georgi as the first part of the press event with the judges and Morooka wrapped up.

“Just answer their questions as best you can, and snark at the stupid ones so they quit asking those,” Victor said. “They'll only jump on you if you let them.”

Seung Gil appeared in the door from inside the room then. “Okay Victor, we're ready for you first.”

Victor turned and gave Yuri's shoulder a pat. “Just breathe. And listen to me when I'm out there, take notes. You'll be fine.” He then turned and went out into the room. He paused for several minutes for the photographers to take photos of him against the Superstar Grand Prix backdrop, then walked up to the microphone that waited in a stand for him to take questions from the press. Seung Gil came onstage to field the questions to stop all of the reporters from yelling at once.

“Victor! How are you feeling right now, did you expect to lose tonight?”

“I didn't expect anything one way or the other,” Victor said. “I knew it was out of my hands, and Yuri is incredibly talented. He's grown so much since the beginning and I'm very happy the viewers saw that and respected that.”

“You have a much stronger voice than Yuri's, do you feel you should have won?”

“My voice is _different_ from Yuri's. He's quite capable of singing just as well if not better than me. It wasn't up to me whether I won or not, and the viewers chose him,” Victor said.

“Were you surprised by the results?”

“Not at all. We were told about how close the votes were but obviously not who won. As far as I'm concerned it could have been either of us. And there's not a whole lot of difference between first and second place, so I'm not really concerned,” Victor said.

Yuri watched and listened from just out of sight by the door, feeling his stomach already beginning to drop. Everyone in the world had expected Victor to win, and the backlash was already beginning. To his credit Victor was handling the questions well, with Seung Gil finally saying that no more questions about the results, which had become redundant quickly, would be answered by Victor as he saw the Russian becoming more and more annoyed.

Finally, Victor's press time ended and Yuri was summoned out. The room filled with applause and he paused for the photos then stepped up to the podium, evoking a bit of laughter as he shortened the height of the microphone stand.

“Congratulations Yuri. Did you expect to win tonight?”

“To be honest, I really didn't,” Yuri began. “I completely thought Victor had it so I was pretty shocked when I heard my name. I don't remember anything for about a minute after it happened.”

“Do you think you deserved to win?”

Yuri paused, unsure how to respond at first. “Well... I think if you go into this feeling you _don't_ deserve it, then why are you here at all? It's going to show when you perform. I learned that early on. I wasn't super confident at first, but the longer I stayed in and learned what I needed to do, I got better. I learned more in the last few months than I did during my whole college years about who I am as an artist and I learned a lot about using that knowledge. So I think all of us felt we deserved it, because we're all talented and we all grew and learned in some way.”

“Do you think Victor should have won?”

“If I had my way, everyone would have won. We all fought hard to make it to the Top Twelve. But that's what the show was about, finding who the viewers thought was the best of all of us.”

“A lot of the online talk right now is that Victor should have won and that this was a big upset, how do you feel about that?”

Yuri drew in a deep breath then. “Well, I can't say I didn't see that coming. But that's their opinions. Everyone's fans think they should have won, so there's nothing I can do about that.”

“Is there anyone else in the Top Twelve that you think should have won besides Victor?”

_I guess they don't want to know anything about me._ “Like I said, we all would have won if I could have had it that way, and in a way we did. We all took risks, and sometimes they paid off and sometimes they didn't. No one has the right to question anyone who did their best, whether they succeeded or didn't.”

“So it's obvious you and Victor are a couple, do you think the results will change that?”

Yuri blinked, at first not realizing what the reporter was going for; he then frowned as he felt the annoyance starting to creep in. “Victor supported me the most, especially during this last week. I don't see anything changing between us.”

“But surely there has to be some discourse.”

Yuri was about to answer when he noticed some of the reporters' attention diverting to his left, and he felt a hand on his shoulder as Victor was suddenly standing next to him.

“Victor was more happy than Yuri was at first,” Victor said, his tone stern. “I actually wasn't surprised at all that Yuri won, and it won't change a thing between us.” He gave Yuri's shoulder a pat, then left the platform.

Yuri looked back out over the roomful of reporters, who had been stunned to silence by Victor's short but effective takedown. With their narrative erased, it seemed like no one else had anything to say.

Yuri smirked a bit. “If there are no more questions, I'd like to get to the party now. Thanks everyone.”

And with that, he walked off the stage.

  
  


  
  


  
  


The Top Twelve were whisked off to the wrap party at the prestigious Paley Center, where they at first all participated in a “reunion” of sorts in the theater of the venue, where invited guests were treated to an hour's worth of fun stories in a loose interview-style format hosted by the most popular reality show blogger out of all of the major ones, Allison Winter of RealityBytes.com, which also livestreamed the event. Of course Yuri and Victor were the center of attention but all twelve contestants shared stories about their time on the show and took questions from the party guests in the audience. The relaxed atmosphere helped everyone to wind down and it was enjoyable enough that the time flew by, but they were no less enthusiastic about heading into the party itself, hosted in a huge reception room in the same complex.

Victor stuck with Yuri as much as he could, but during the times they got separated he was relieved to see Yuri holding his own as he talked to the celebrities that had participated in the results show and others that had been invited, including some of the media. All of the contestants also finally got to have conversations with each judge in an informal setting, and while their perceptions of Minako and Celestino were further confirmed, they found Yakov to be much more pleasant outside of a formal business situation – especially with the addition of a few glasses of vodka.

The event was filled with drinks, selfies, a bit of networking as every member of the Top Twelve were given business cards at the end of conversations, recommendations for connections in the industry and lots of advice, some asked for and some freely given. During the course of the night every contestant had at least one moment where someone ran up to them and told them to check social media, where encouraging words were sent to all of the contestants from various celebrities. A myriad of congratulations were directed to Yuri, including Bruno Mars, who also reminded the world that he'd called it as far back as before the Top Twelve had even done the first live show.

The night flew by and soon it was past 1 am, more than six hours since Yuri's name had been announced as the winner. Victor made his way over to Yuri as the party began to wind down, hanging onto his hand as they found all of the other members of the Top Twelve to say goodnight. The pair would be embarking on their media tour one day's time, with a week minimum of appearances and performances ahead of them; they then would return to Los Angeles to begin meetings for the recording of their respective releases, and rehearsals for the coming tour.

It was nearly 2 am when Yuri and Victor arrived back to the mansion, their home for just one more night and day; upon returning to Los Angeles they would stay in the same hotel with the rest of the Superstars during tour rehearsals, the producers' rental of the mansion coming to an end with their departure. But for now the pair were relieved to finally be alone, completely drained by the events of the day.

Victor found Yuri out on the second-floor terrace, hair still damp from his shower, a bottle of champagne on ice that was left in the kitchen for them from the producers sitting on the table in front of the outdoor sofa Yuri was curled on. He returned Yuri's smile as he sat down, taking the bottle out of the ice bucket.

“What's the holdup? We should open this,” Victor said, popping the cork and pouring them both a glass. They made a toast and both took a long drink, then sat in silence for a while more.

“So... love, is it?” Victor asked finally, his tone soft to match the smile on his face.

Yuri turned, sliding over as close as he could and wrapping his arms around Victor.

“Yeah,” Yuri replied. “I... realized it when we were singing “For Good”. I was already thinking that I didn't want this to end... that I wanted us to... sing together forever, if you will. But it was that final performance that really made me realize... I don't want to be alone, and I don't want to be away from you. You put so much of yourself out there, made more effort to learn about _me –_ who I am, why I am, how I am – than anyone else ever has. You didn't give up... and that means more than you'll ever know. I guess I was just afraid of that for a while, because I didn't know how to handle it.”

Victor squeezed Yuri tightly, placing a kiss on the top of his head. “Well... I call it love too. I have for a while, but I wanted you to be sure of your feelings.” He felt Yuri bury his face into his chest then, arms tightening around him.

“I'm sorry,” came Yuri's muffled response. “If I'd known, I wouldn't have --”

“Shh. You would have been no less frightened of the unknown. It's overwhelming when you find someone who cares about how you feel after so long of only having the opposite. But I've heard more than once that the right person is the one that you realize you'll fight for no matter what.”

Yuri smiled then, snuggling deeper into Victor's embrace. “There's a place you just can't reach, unless you have a dream that's too large to bear alone,” he said. Victor grinned at that, holding Yuri as close as he possibly could, until the pull was enough to cause Yuri to climb onto Victor's lap, laying his head on Victor's shoulder.

“Well, we'll help each other,” Victor said. “But since you beat me for the title, I expect five gold records. At least.”

Yuri laughed softly at that. “Okay. But I have a feeling we'll be battling it out for a while, until the controversy dies down a bit about who should have won. They'll be wanting us to be mortal enemies even though we're obviously not.”

“Let them all worry about it,” Victor said. “We know how it all really happened, and how hard we worked for it, and that's all that matters.”

Yuri smiled up at him then. “Yes,” he agreed. “Because win or lose, everything on that stage... was love.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For all of American Idol's finales (and the finales of other competition singing shows that came after), it was a tradition to have celebrities come in and duet with the final two as well as the lower-placed contestants. Toward the middle of Idol's run when it was at its peak, there were some pretty impressive guest lists. As SGP was run by Yakov's Eros Entertainment, which is supposed to be the most massive entertainment empire in existence in this story, I figured as far as the finale lineup, might as well go big, or go home.
> 
> In Season 7, as David Cook and David Archuleta were getting ready to go on for the finale results show, then executive producers Nigel Lythgoe came into their dressing room to tell them that the winner had won by a narrow 12 million vote margin. Cook was dead certain that Archuleta "had it in the bag" and was completely in shock when he won instead.
> 
> Yuri's winning moment is based on David Cook's story of his subsequent shock over [his winning moment](https://youtu.be/h616-b0pKPw). He calls the first minute and a half after his name was called a "conscious blackout" -- he was aware of his surroundings, but has no memory of what happened to this day. He had to watch it on YouTube to fill in the gap.
> 
> And, of course, if you are familiar with American Idol at all, especially Season 8, you will catch the very obvious parallel of Kris Allen's "upset" over the heavily-favored Adam Lambert, a controversy that still rages within some small corners of the Idol fandom circle, even years later, despite the fact that both are quite happy with their respective careers.
> 
> The words I had "the producers" change in the lyrics of "Raise You Up/Just Be" are denoted with [brackets].
> 
> The [fic playlist](https://open.spotify.com/user/fallbackintome/playlist/0jJjh4a3fv5oXd7iSJMhSH?si=b10WVMfYQDOUjBeRBmllaQ) has been updated with all the finale songs; unfortunately, the version of "For Good" I referenced here is not available for download or streaming, so I had to add the original to the playlist.
> 
> * * *
> 
> And that's a wrap! I really didn't expect this fic to end up being the complete monster it became. I had some ups and downs writing it and a couple of times for different reasons I almost quit, but I'm glad I saw it through to the end. Thank you so much to everyone that read, commented, left kudos, and shared this fic with others (and please, continue to do so if you're so inclined). I really appreciate the time you spent reading this, and I really hope you enjoyed it. I have a few different ideas for continuing the story, most likely covering the tour, but no solid plans as to when or if I'll start it.
> 
> I will be taking a break from writing anything new for a while (in theory, anyway) as of this time. I'm at @AslanKatsuki on Twitter and I check in on Tumblr at @HuntressFirefall occasionally.
> 
> And one last time: Thank you, thank you, thank you for reading. <333

**Author's Note:**

> So... I think I might be crazy for taking this on because it's already a monster. But as a huge American Idol fan since season 2, this has actually been bouncing around in my head for a while now. I won't promise weekly updates this time, as it's more difficult to write than fantasy which comes much easier to me. But I'm committed to see it through to the end now that it's posted. :)
> 
> The story will progress in somewhat "real time": Auditions, Hollywood Week, and then each theme week leading up to the finale. Did I say I might be crazy? I might be lol. But I'm already having a blast writing this even though it's quite the challenge. I hope you get a kick out of it too, especially if you were (are?) an Idol fan. :)
> 
> The title of this story is a quote of the lyrics to the song "Limelight" by Rush. You can find this and all the other songs mentioned in this fic in [this Spotify playlist](https://open.spotify.com/user/fallbackintome/playlist/0jJjh4a3fv5oXd7iSJMhSH). I'll be adding the songs mentioned in each chapter as the story progresses.
> 
> Feel free to add me and say hi @HuntressFirefall on Tumblr | @AslanKatsuki on Twitter. :)


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